To the average person, asthma means difficulty in breathing. Although asthma may occur for many different reasons, in this article we will discuss the most common form of this condition – bronchial asthma.
Bronchial asthma is a disease caused by increased sensitivity of the air passages in your lungs, to a variety of triggers. This leads to closure of the airways, the severity of which may differ even in the same person, depending on the stimulus.
It is generally an episodic disease, ie, attacks of shortness of breath are followed by normal intervals. Typically, most attacks are short lived, lasting minutes to hours and the patient seems to recover completely after an attack.
However, there can be a phase in which the patient experiences some degree of breathing difficulty every day. This phase can be mild, with or without superimposed severe episodes, or much more serious, with severe closure of the airways persisting for days or weeks; the latter condition is known medically as status asthmaticus. In general, asthma that has its onset in childhood, tends to have a strong allergic component, whereas asthma that develops late tends to be non-allergic or to have mixed causes.
Asthma attacks are usually triggered by:
Tobacco smoke
Infections such as colds, flu, or pneumonia
Allergens such as food, pollen, mould, dust mites, etc
Exercise
Air pollution and toxins
Weather, especially extreme changes in temperature
Drugs (such as aspirin and other pain killers)
Food additives
Emotional stress and anxiety
Smoking, perfumes, or sprays
Acid reflux
Signs and symptoms of bronchial asthma
Wheezing
Usually begins suddenly
Comes in episodes
May be worse at night or in early morning
Gets worse with cold air, exercise, or heartburn (reflux)
May go away on its own
Is relieved by bronchodilators (drugs that open the airways)
Cough with or without secretions.
Shortness of breath that gets worse with exercise or activity
Pulling of the skin between the ribs when breathing
The symptoms of asthma which require emergency
hospital care are:
Extreme difficulty in breathing
Bluish colour of the lips and face
Severe anxiety due to shortness of breath
Rapid heart rate
Sweating
Decreased level of alertness, such as severe drowsiness or confusion during an asthma attack
Recognizing bronchial asthma
Because asthma does not always happen at the doctor’s visit, it’s important for you to describe your asthma signs and symptoms to your doctor. You might also notice when the symptoms occur such as during exercise, with a cold, or after smelling smoke. Asthma tests may include Spirometry, Peak Expiratory Flow and a chest x-ray .
Treating bronchial asthma
Once diagnosed, your asthma doctor will recommend asthma medication (which can include asthma inhalers and pills) and lifestyle changes to treat and prevent asthma attacks. The inhalers deliver low doses of steroids to the lungs with minimal side effects if used properly. The fast-acting or ‘rescue’ bronchodilator inhaler works immediately by opening airways during an asthma attack.
If you have asthma, make sure your doctor shows you how to use the inhalers. Be sure to keep your rescue inhaler with you in case of an asthma attack or asthma emergency. While there is no asthma cure yet, there are excellent asthma medications that can prevent asthma symptoms and help you live a normal, active life.
Living with asthma
Managing asthma day to day is important to breathe well, stay active, and keep asthma symptoms at bay.
Stress and asthma
Does daily stress trigger your asthma? Stress is a common asthma trigger, causing you to feel anxious and short of breath. Learn how to manage stress so that you can reduce your asthma symptoms.
Asthma and smoking
Smoke is a powerful trigger of asthma symptoms. Even passive smoking is associated with an increase in bronchitis, sinusitis, and asthma.
Prevention
Asthma symptoms can be substantially reduced by avoiding known allergens and respiratory irritants. If someone with asthma is sensitive to dust mites, exposure can be reduced by encasing mattresses and pillows in allergen-impermeable covers, removing carpets from bedrooms, and by vacuuming regularly. Exposure to dust mites and mould can be reduced by lowering indoor humidity.
If a person is allergic to an animal that cannot be removed from the home, the animal should be kept out of the patient’s bedroom. Exposure to cigarette smoke, air pollution, industrial dusts, and irritating fumes should also be avoided.
Allergy desensitization may be helpful in reducing asthma symptoms and medication use, but the cost benefit ratio compared to other forms of treatments is still to be evaluated.
