Allergic Rhinitis and Its Pathophysiology

Subject: Diagnostics
Pages: 2
Words: 332
Reading time:
2 min
Study level: College

According to the individual’s history, the pathophysiology of the illness includes the reaction of the woman’s body to some irritant. She has become sensitive to something in the environment, which, as a rule, does not cause any uncommon response in the human body. In the current case, the possible disease process is allergic rhinitis. Its usual symptoms include a runny nose, difficulty breathing, sneezing, and other reactions. These conditions are caused by IgE-mediated reactions to the substance that causes a response to an antigen when a person breathes it in (McCance & Huether, 2015). Apart from that, histamine receptors take part in the pathophysiology of this disease.

The evaluation questions that should be asked from the patient include queries about the first time she has started experiencing recurring colds. In addition, it is necessary to determine whether her parents have suffered from asthma or allergies and what were the triggers of these conditions (McCance & Huether, 2015). Also, it would be helpful to investigate if the woman experiences any asthma symptoms. The specialist should be knowledgeable whether the patient has pets and what is the nutrition regime of the woman to determine whether the allergy is triggered by reactions to animals or consumed foods. Moreover, it is reasonable to ask if the woman receives antihistamines.

Donna does not have an acute infection, which is indicated by assessment results. In particular, the patient is afebrile, and her other indications are normal. It can be assumed that she experiences a type I IgE hypersensitive reaction (Ferri, 2014). She claimed that such outbursts occur in spring and fall, which implies that she might be allergic to some antigen.

Based on the assessment results and presumable diagnosis, it can be assumed that the woman can experience bronchial asthma as well. The hypersensitivity reaction, in this case, is linked to the mechanism of the disease. In particular, type I manifestation can be assumed (Ferri, 2014). In this process, IgE adheres to the cells filled with basophil granules.

References

Ferri, F. F. (2014). Ferri’s clinical advisor 2015: 5 books in 1. New York, NY: Elsevier.

McCance, K. L., & Huether, S. E. (2015). Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children (7th ed.). New York, NY: Elsevier.