Asthma is a respiratory disorder characterized by effortful breathing, shortness of breath, continuous bout of coughing, wheezing and excessive mucus production. It is one of the major non-communicable diseases prevalent among the kids and adults.
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It is a condition affecting the airways making them inflamed and swollen thus narrowing the lumen of the airway (trachea, bronchi) and obstructing the smooth flow of air into the lungs. The inflamed airway wall produces excess mucus which interfere with the breathing and produces a whistling sound which is termed as wheezing.
Wheezing is one of the chief characteristic symptom of asthma.
Causes and risk factors:
There
are two main causes of asthma.Genetics and environmental cause. However many other conditions can trigger asthma.
- Genetic or hereditary: some people inherit the condition from their family through the genes. If your parent or sibling is having asthma, it is likely to be passed onto your genes. However it may not be a sure thing to pass on. But it is considered to be one of the reason of having or developing asthma. Generally it is heard that doctors ask your family history of asthma if they notice asthma like symptoms in you. So it is believed that you can get asthma from your family.
- Environmental factors: factors such as cold air or sudden temperature changes, allergens, sinusitis or other respiratory infection such as common cold may also be the responsible causes of asthma.
- Emotional disturbances like stress and anxiety may also trigger the condition causing asthma.
- Asthma is a chronic disorder that triggers due to the presence of allergens, climatic changes or emotional stress.
- The allergens may include: pollen, dust, smoke, air pollutants, animal dander, droppings of cockroaches, mold, weed or grass, some sort of perfumes or fragrances, etc.
- Food items such as eggs, peanuts, soy products, wheat, fish, nuts, may also act as asthma triggers.
- On contact with the allergens or food additives the person develops the sudden response in the form of coughing, shortness of breath, chest tightening, and production of mucus.
- Exercise also acts as a trigger for some people with asthma. Intense workout may lead to sudden asthmatic response.
- People living with preoccupied allergic conditions such as eczema, allergic rhinitis or hay fever are at risk of developing asthma.
- People of certain occupations develop occupational asthma due to the inhalation of various chemicals or dust or other factory smoke. The condition takes a long way to show up the symptoms. Some people may even did not get a hint that they are having asthma due to their occupation unless the situation becomes worse.
- People who smoke for long are prone to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which is also a form of asthma. They develop severe wheezing, breathing difficult, chest pain and excessive coughing. Often they feel hypoxic due the lack of oxygen and inability of the lungs to expand fully due to the narrowing of the airway passage.
Diagnosis:
- Asthma can be diagnosed based on the physical assessment of the signs and symptoms, taking thorough patient history including the family history, medical history of any infections such as sinusitis or allergy to food or dust and smoke or any particular allergy that makes a person feel uncomfortable to breathe, history of sleep pattern and dietary intake.
- For more accurate diagnosis of asthma the doctor advises the Incentive Spirometry test which is done using a Spirometer. It is a hollow tube like instrument in which the air is exhaled after taking a deep breath. The level of expiration intensity decides the lung capacity and other parameters of the lung functions.
- There are other tests also called peak flow tests, FeNo tests, etc. which are used to check the lung function capacity and rule out the possibility of asthma.
- Use of the bronchodilator drug is also tried in some cases. If the use of the drug gives instant relief to the person, it can be a possible diagnosis of asthma.
Management of asthma:
While there is no such accurate cure for asthma, it is still a treatable disorder as its symptoms can be improved by some medications and inhaled corticosteroids.
- Bronchodilators are the drugs indicated for the dilation of the airways to help in relieving the symptoms of asthma.
- Some corticosteroids are also prescribed in the form of respules to inhale deep into the lungs using the inhalers.
- The use of inhalers or revolizers can significantly treat the inflamed airways and give relief to the patient by broadening the airway passage. The treatment plan depends on the identification of the cause of disease, any allergies or pre-disposing infections or occupation.
- The best way to stay non-asthmatic is by proper knowledge and awareness. The people must be made aware of asthma: its causes, trigger factors and allergies, prevention and treatment. Once the person gets to know the cause for his/her condition, it becomes easy to avoid or prevent the factors that contribute to the asthmatic situation.
- Deep breathing/coughing exercises or Pranayama is a best way to ensure the health of the lungs and strengthening the lung capacity. Excluding the food allergens may also help prevent asthma.
- Use of facemasks in crowdy or polluted places may help asthma patients with dust or smoke allergy.
- Inhalers as prescribed by the doctor along with the medicine must be kept handy all the time as a precaution. Sometimes asthma attack may occur anywhere without any hint. It is also advisable to be on a safer side and well prepared for any such emergencies.
- In case of any upper respiratory tract infections, it is recommended that treatment should be initiated as early as possible to avoid any further asthmatic trigger.
- Consult your physician in case the symptoms of asthma are troubling you more than before, in case you are falling short of breath or wheezing makes it difficult for you to live normally, it is good to see your doctor urgently.
- Avoid smoking tobacco as it may deteriorate the condition. Use of snugly fit facemasks are recommended for the persons exposed to occupational asthma.
- Meditation and other relaxation techniques may help alleviate the symptoms.
Complications:
- The asthma symptoms range from mild to moderate to severe. Some cases don’t even need special attention while the moderate cases can be effectively managed with the use of inhalers and medicines.
- The severe cases may sometimes be at risk of developing an acute asthma attack. During an acute asthma attack the person experiences severe breathlessness, hypoxia: the oxygen saturation of the blood reduces considerably, the extremities feel cold and clammy and person may be in critical state of emergency.
- It may be a life threatening situation requiring immediate medical attention.
- In case of asthma attack due to emotional stress, have the patient lie down with head end elevated and loosen the upper clothes. Ask the person to deep breath or use paper bags. Ask the patient to inhale and exhale in the bag. Thus shortness of breath can be prevented.
- Asthma management needs ardent understanding of the condition and patience at the same time. Some persons especially children may feel inferiority due to their condition as they feel fatigued or shortness of breath while playing. Using a generous yet tactful approach towards them may help reduce the burden of childhood asthma.
Tips to stay fit and healthy:
Nowadays the alternative medicines also have been sought to get effective treatment of asthma.
Use of Ayurveda and Siddha medicines have made it easy to treat the problems of coughing and wheezing.
Daily practice of yoga also helps in improving asthma.
Regular practice of the chest physiotherapy exercises helps preventing the complications of asthma.
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Meditation Image source: pexels.com |
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| Image source: pexels.com |
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