Asthma is popular health cases known to many, even if just by it's name. It is a chronic disease involving the airways in the lungs. These airways, or bronchial tubes, allow air to come in and out of the lungs. It is characterized by inflammation of the bronchial tubes with increased production of sticky secretions inside the tubes. People with asthma experience symptoms when the airways tighten, inflame, or fill with mucus. Common asthma shows as Coughing, especially at night,Wheezing, Shortness of breath, Chest tightness, pain, or pressure.
Still,
not every person with asthma has the same symptoms in the same way. You
may not have all of these symptoms, or you may have different symptoms
at different times. Your asthma symptoms may also vary from one asthma
attack to the next, being mild during one and severe during another.
Mild asthma attacks
are generally more common. Usually, the airways open up within a few
minutes to a few hours. Severe attacks are less common but last longer
and require immediate medical help. It is important to recognize and
treat even mild asthma symptoms to help you prevent severe episodes and
keep asthma under better control.
Symptoms Showing You Are Asthmatic
Early
warning signs are changes that happen just before or at the very
beginning of an asthma attack. These signs may start before the
well-known symptoms of asthma and are the earliest signs that your
asthma is worsening.
In general, these signs are not
severe enough to stop you from going about your daily activities. But by
recognizing these signs, you can stop an asthma attack or prevent one
from getting worse. Early warning signs of asthma include:
- Frequent cough, especially at night
- Losing your breath easily or shortness of breath
- Feeling very tired or weak when exercising
- Wheezing or coughing after exercise
- Feeling tired, easily upset, grouchy, or moody
- Decreases or changes in lung function as measured on a peak flow meter
- Signs of a cold or allergies (sneezing, runny nose, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, and headache)
- Trouble sleeping
If
you have early warning signs or symptoms of asthma, you should take
more asthma medication as described in your asthma action plan.
If your child has one or more of these common symptoms, make an appointment with an allergist / immunologist:
How To Detect Asthmatic Signs In Your Child
Children with asthma may show the same symptoms as adults with asthma: coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. In some children chronic cough may be the only symptom.If your child has one or more of these common symptoms, make an appointment with an allergist / immunologist:
- Coughing that is constant or that is made worse by viral infections, happens while your child is asleep, or is triggered by exercise and cold air
- Wheezing or whistling sound when your child exhales
- Shortness of breath or rapid breathing, which may be associated with exercise
- Chest tightness (a young child may say that his chest “hurts” or “feels funny”)
- Fatigue (your child may slow down or stop playing)
- Problems feeding or grunting during feeding (infants)
- Avoiding sports or social activities
- Problems sleeping due to coughing or difficulty breathing
Symptoms of an Asthma Attack
An
asthma attack is the episode in which bands of muscle surrounding the
airways are triggered to tighten. This tightening is called
bronchospasm. During the attack, the lining of the airways becomes
swollen or inflamed and the cells lining the airways produce more and
thicker mucus than normal.
All of these factors -- bronchospasm, inflammation, and mucus production -- cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and difficulty performing normal daily activities. Other symptoms of an asthma attack include:
- Severe wheezing when breathing both in and out
- Coughing that won't stop
- Very rapid breathing
- Chest pain or pressure
- Tightened neck and chest muscles, called retractions
- Difficulty talking
- Feelings of anxiety or panic
- Pale, sweaty face
- Blue lips or fingernails
Asthma Treatment & Management
There is no cure for asthma, but symptoms can be controlled with effective asthma treatment and management. This involves taking your medications as directed and learning to avoid triggers that cause your asthma symptoms. Your allergist will prescribe the best medications for your condition and provide you with specific instructions for using them.#Controller medications are taken daily and include inhaled corticosteroids (fluticasone (Flovent Diskus, Flovent HFA), budesonide (Pulmicort Flexhaler), mometasone (Asmanex), ciclesonide (Alvesco), flunisolide (Aerobid), beclomethasone (Qvar) and others).
Combination inhalers contain an inhaled corticosteroid plus a long-acting beta-agonist (LABA). LABAs are symptom-controllers that are helpful in opening your airways. However, in certain people they may carry some risks.
LABAs should never be prescribed as the sole therapy for asthma. Current recommendations are for them to be used only along with inhaled corticosteroids. Combination medications include fluticasone and salmeterol (Advair Diskus, Advair HFA), budesonide and formoterol (Symbicort), and mometasone and formoterol (Dulera).
Oral and intravenous corticosteroids may be required for acute asthma flare-ups or for severe symptoms. Examples include prednisone and methylprednisolone. They can cause serious side effects if used on a long term basis.
Quick-relief or rescue medications are used to quickly relax and open the airways and relieve symptoms during an asthma flare-up, or are taken before exercising if prescribed. These include: short-acting beta-agonists. These inhaled bronchodilator (brong-koh-DIE-lay-tur) medications include albuterol (ProAir HFA, Ventolin HFA, others), levalbuterol (Xopenex HFA) and pirbuterol (Maxair Autohaler). Quick-relief medications do not take the place of controller medications. If you rely on rescue relief more than twice a week, it is time to see your allergist.
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