Reference no: EM133630818

A 16-year-old black female presents with her mother to the emergency room with complaints of dyspnea and wheezing without relief after using her albuterol inhaler. The patient was diagnosed with COVID 6 days ago and started noticing that her breathing effort was getting harder in the last 2 days. She reports a fever of 101F originally but has not had a fever in the last 24 hours. She denies any chest pain but is having some increased dyspnea when she is walking around. The patient has a 5-year history of intermittent asthma which has been controlled with her current medication. The patient is currently using loratadine 10mg po daily, singular 10mg at bedtime, and albuterol 2 puffs via inhalation every 6 hrs. as needed. She reports that she had to use multiple doses in the last 24 hours because her symptoms were worsening. VS: BP 132/88, pulse 120, respirations 28, O2 sat 94%, and temp 99.4F. Upon exam the patient has diffuse wheezing bilaterally on expiration and minimal upon inspiration. Breath sounds are diminished bilaterally. Chest x-ray reveals hyperinflation with no infiltrates.

- The pulmonary pathophysiologic processes that result in the patient presenting these symptoms.

- Any racial/ethnic variables that may impact physiological functioning.

- How these processes interact to affect the patient.