Asthma: Types , Symptoms and Treatment

 

A long term disease involving your air ways in lungs is called asthma. Airways in your lungs also called bronchial tubes are a path way to pass air in and out to lungs. If you have asthma problem these bronchial tubes are always swollen. With the swollen muscles it is difficult to pass air in and out.

Types:

Asthma can be of different types:

Childhood asthma:

Symptoms of asthma in children show up in the age of 5. Childhood asthma usually happen if you have a family history. In children asthma appear in form of coughing, fast breathing or wheezing while breathing.

Exercise induced asthma:

In some people asthma symptoms appear only while exercising it is called exercise induced asthma. In this type your muscles become sensitive to temperature and humidity and start contracting which results narrowing the airways.

Work related asthma:

As explained by its name, this type of asthma is caused when you are dealing with some kind of fumes, gas or chemicals daily at your work place. It is also known as occupational asthma.

Allergic asthma:

Allergic asthma is triggered if you are allergic to something. It usually starts is allergic season. You will feel difficult to breathe inhaling an allergen such as pollen.

Cough variant asthma:

You will experience a dry and nonproductive cough. There may be not usual symptoms of asthma like shortness of breath or wheezing. This type is common in children.

Night-time asthma:

This type of asthma is triggered in nights as you feel tightening in chest, coughing and wheezing. It makes difficult to sleep in this situation.

Symptoms:

Symptoms of asthma are different in every person. These symptoms include:

·        Chest tightening

·        Coughing

·        Hard to breath

·        Wheezing sound while exhaling

·        Trouble in sleeping due to cough or short breath

See a doctor:

If you have asthma, you need to discuss with your doctor about handling condition when your asthma got worse. Signs of worse asthma conditions include rapidly shortness of breath that is worse, no improvement sign even after use of inhaler, difficulty in breathing even doing daily physical tasks.

Causes:

Different things that can trigger allergies, can trigger asthma symptoms. These triggers are different for every person.

Different types of asthma triggers are:

·        Coldness

·        Routine physical work

·        Infection in respiratory system

·        Allergens such as dust, pollen, pets etc.

·        Some medicines

·        Extreme stress

·        Food preservatives

·        Gastroesophageal reflex disease (GRD)

Risk factor:

There are many things that can act as risk factors to this disease:

·        Anyone in blood relation have it already.

·        Overweight

·        Smoking

·        Having another allergic disease

·        Working in a place where an exposure to chemicals, fumes or gases is.

Complications:

Asthma can reach to extreme complicated situation that can be:

·        Symptoms interfering with sleep, work and other activities

·        Not going to school or work due to sickness

·        Continuous visiting in emergency room

·        Side effects due to medications of dealing severe asthma attack.

Prevention:

There are not specific ways to prevent asthma but you can avoid asthma attacks by following some steps:

·        Keep a check on your asthma action plan and take care of medications.

·        Flu and cold can trigger your asthma so stay vaccinated for diseases like pneumonia and influenza.

·        Avoid things that are reason to trigger your asthma.

·        Keep a check on your breathing and monitor signs of breathing attacks.

·        You can overcome chances of severe attacks if you act quickly. It is possible only when you identify your attack and manage accordingly.

·        Always take your medicines on time prescribed by your doctor and keep a check on increasing a dose.

·        Your asthma is out of control if you are using quick relief inhaler, you need to see your doctor now.

 

Treatment:

·        In mild persistent asthma a low-dose of corticosteroid is prescribed by your doctor. A rescue inhaler is also prescribed by your doctor if you are having symptoms of asthma time to time. Some allergy medicines are also given if it is triggered by allergens.

·        Like mild persistent, also in moderate persistent asthma inhaled corticosteroids are prescribed by your doctor along with rescue inhaler but they are slightly high in dose. Also anti allergic medicines are prescribed.

Oral corticosteroids are given to patients of aged 5 years and more.

·        a high dose combination of inhaled corticosteroids, inhaler, oral corticosteroids and medication is prescribed by your doctor. In this situation you see asthma symptoms many times in day so your doctor needs to find best combination to deal with it.