Chapter 29 - Asthma: Multisystem Implications

Abstract

This chapter presents the pathophysiology and current medical management strategies associated with childhood asthma. Asthma has three primary traits: airway inflammation, airway obstruction, and bronchial hyperresponsiveness to stimuli. The pathophysiology is complex and interactive; thus, physical therapy and medical plans of care must be developed specifically for each child. Family adherence to a medical or physical therapy plan of care is enhanced if the family is engaged in the development of the plan of care. A detailed longitudinal case scenario in eBook illustrates physical therapist diagnosis and management from a multisystem and multidiscipline perspective. Therapists should screen for impairments in cardiopulmonary, neuromuscular, musculoskeletal, integumentary, and gastrointestinal systems that contribute to activity limitations and participation restrictions that cannot be fully explained by asthma alone. The individualized physical therapy program presented in the case scenario along with the short- and long-term outcomes serve as a template for setting goals and planning interventions for children with asthma.