Question

An adult patient with a history of allergies comes to the clinic complaining of wheezing and difficulty in breathing when working in his yard. The assessment findings include the following: tachypnea, use of accessory neck muscles, prolonged expiration, intercostal retractions, decreased breath sounds, and expiratory wheezes. This description is consistent with:

a. asthma.
b. atelectasis.
c. lobar pneumonia.
d. congestive heart failure.

Answer 1

The patient's symptoms, including wheezing and difficulty breathing, are consistent with asthma, a chronic disease characterized by airway inflammation and narrowing.

Step-by-step explanation:

The symptoms described by the adult patient include wheezing, difficulty in breathing, tachypnea (rapid breathing), use of accessory neck muscles, prolonged expiration, intercostal retractions, decreased breath sounds, and expiratory wheezes. These symptoms are consistent with asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Asthma involves episodes of inflammation and narrowing of the airways, often accompanied by mucus production, which causes the symptoms of difficulty breathing, coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. Asthma can be triggered by various environmental factors, including allergies.