Question One

How would you determine whether to prescribe a leukotriene inhibitor for an asthmatic client? Include picture

Treating asthma involves a thorough understanding of a client’s health condition and deciding on the appropriate management or treatment strategy to be used. Asthma is a health condition that manifests in stages, and the treatment process is dependent on the scene of the disease. The initial step of asthma, which is the acute phase, requires the use of simple treatment approaches such as the use of inhalants to open up the blocked bronchi. Leukotriene modifiers are a unique class of asthma treatment that work to manage allergic reactions, as well as to prevent asthma. However, these modifiers are not used as the first mode of treating asthma in patients. Therefore, the use of leukotriene modifiers is only recommended to patients with advanced asthma that has reached a chronic stage. I a doctor, I would use the client’s medical history and past prognosis of the disease to determine whether the use of leukotriene would be appropriate. If the client has a long asthmatic history, I would recommend the use of the leukotriene since; the treatment would not be the first one. In other words, I would only prescribe a leukotriene inhibitor to a client whose asthmatic condition has reached the chronic stage. The photo below shows the lungs of asthmatic patients in the chronic phase. Clients with similar effects as in the below picture would be put under leukotriene inhibitor.

Question Two

Are mast cells stabilizers currently part of the standard of care in treating asthma? Why or why not? Include a picture if available.

Most qualified doctors currently use mast cell stabilizers in the treatment of asthma due to their ability to inhibit the release of histamine and other inflammatory chemicals in the human body. The main reason for using the mast cells stabilizers as standard care in treating asthma is because the variously available stabilizers such as cromolyn are free of side effects as opposed to other drugs used in treating the disease. The drugs work by stabilizing the mast cell membrane that becomes impermeable to inflammatory chemicals and allergens such as histamine. The inflammatory chemicals and histamine are known to cause adverse effects such as itching, swelling, and pain in the human body. Therefore, inhibiting the release of these chemicals is a sure way of controlling most allergic reactions such as asthma. However, the mast cells stabilizers are more effective when used before exposing the body to antigens. Cromolyn sodium has been the most effective mast cell stabilizer that has been used in the treatment of mild allergic reactions.

The drugs are typically used in conjunction with other antihistamines to obtain better results 4when dealing with most allergic reactions. Other medications used in treating allergic reactions such as asthma, usually block histamine receptors, which results in various sides effects that may harm the patient. However, the use of mast cell stabilizers operates by inhibiting the release of histamine, thereby annulling the side-effects caused by blocking the histamine receptors. As part of the standard of care in treating asthma, it should be administered as prescribed by qualified medics for best results. Pharmaceutically, the medicine should be administered about two weeks before allergy seasons such as cold weathers that cause asthma.