Emma J is a 7-year-old with asthma. Emma has good coordination, and... Emma J is a 7-year-old with asthma. Emma has good coordination, and is able to use an inhaler. When she first developed asthma, she was given an inhaler to use when she had an attack of asthma. 1. Why do you need good coordination to use an inhaler? 2. Name a drug that is likely to have been in the inhaler? 3. How does this drug work? 4. Would it have prevented further attacks of asthma? Unfortunately, Emma's asthma became so severe that she was having regular attacks, and using her inhaler frequently. The GP (doctor) decided that Emma needed some medication to prevent the asthma and gave Emma a different inhaler. Afterwards, Emma had fewer asthma attacks, and used her inhaler for attacks much less frequently. 6. What medications could have been in the preventative inhaler? How do these medications work? 7. Why did Emma have a severe asthma attack? 8. What was likely to be in the nebulizer? 9. Why was it better than the inhaled medicine for the attack of asthma? 10. What other medicine could Emma have been given for a severe asthma attack? 11. How does this medicine work? Emma was put on a course of oral prednisone, which was very effective at preventing asthma attacks, but she was only allowed to use it for a few weeks. 12. How does prednisone work in asthma? 13. Why was Emma only allowed to use the oral prednisone short term?
