Week 6
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Respiratory System
Respiratory Alterations in Children
It is crucial for a healthcare practitioner to fully understand the pathophysiology
of respiratory disorders in order to appropriately diagnose and treat their patients. For the
sake of this discussion, I am going to describe the disorder and the underlying respiratory
alteration associated with the type of cough in scenario two. Then, I am going to explain
the pathophysiology of the respiratory alteration. Lastly, I am going to explain how the
factors of gender and genetics might impact the disorder.
According to the given scenario number two for this week’s discussion; Kevin is a
6-year-old boy who is brought in for evaluation by his parents. The parents are concerned
that he has a really deep cough that he just can’t seem to get over. The parents are
concerned that about a week ago, Kevin developed a profound cough that is deep and
sounds like he’s barking. Kevin also has occasional vomiting with productive cough.
Additionally, his symptoms also include a low-grade temperature.
All of this points me in the direction of croup. According to Huether & McCance
(2017), croup is an acute laryngotracheitis and almost always occurs in children between
6 months and 5 years of age. In the case of Kevin, I believe he has a diagnosis of
