DEFINITION
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways, which constrict, narrow and swell when a person comes in contact with a trigger. This causes coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. The most common form of asthma is caused by allergies to certain triggers.
CAUSES
Asthma is caused by a combination of factors, which include genes, environmental and biological triggers, such as infections, dietary patterns, hormonal changes in women and allergens. Allergic asthma is one of the primary causes of asthma, but other types exist. Exercise-induced asthma and nocturnal asthma are two types not associated with allergies.
RISK FACTORS
Risk factors for asthma include gender, obesity, smoking, socio-economic status, living in urban environments, and geographical location.
SYMPTOMS
The symptoms of asthma can vary in severity and progress over a period of hours or days, after being exposed to triggers. Symptoms inlcude wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, chest tightness or pain, rapid heart rate, and sweating.
DIAGNOSIS
Being tested for asthma will typically include a medical history, including any pattern related to the symptoms or possible precipitating factors. Spirometry, which uses pulmonary function tests to study the air volume and flow rate within the lungs, can help detect asthma. Your doctor will look at vital capacity, peak expiratory flow rate and forced expiratory volume.
If you are experiencing symptoms of asthma, or just find that you are overly fatigued, it might be beneficial to talk to your doctor about getting tested for asthma. Talking to your doctor is the first step to getting a diagnosis and begin treating your asthma.
MANAGEMENT
Asthma action plan
Having an asthma action plan is an essential part of successful asthma management. The plan should be developed with your doctor and should include steps to take in three separate zones of asthma health. This will allow you to know what to do in any situation to prevent the problem from worsening.
lifestyle at home
Although household asthma triggers can not be completely eliminated there are steps you can take to "asthma-proof" your home as much as possible. The most common triggers in the home are dust mites, animal dander, urine and saliva, and mold. Taking steps to eliminate these triggers will do wonder for your asthma control.
Diet and exercise
Diet and exercise can be an important tool to control asthma. People who have asthma and are overweight may help reduce asthma symptoms if they lose weight. Long-term exercise may even help control asthma and reduce hospitalization. Healthy eating is also an important factor.
Emotional health
If you suffer from asthma, it is extremely important for you to manage your emotional health - especially your stress levels - as this can trigger symptoms, including shortness of breath and wheezing.
Minimise triggers
Determining what your asthma triggers are is the first step in controlling your asthma symptoms. Some of the top asthma triggers include stress, allergies, cold air, and exercise.
Compliance to Medicines
Even when an asthma patient is symptom-free, it is still very important to take their medications. Taking inhaled corticosteroids work better than any other asthma medicine at controlling chronic inflammation in the airways of asthmatics.
TREATMENT
Asthma maintenance medication is used to treat the underlying cause of asthma - inflammation in the airways and lungs. Long-term bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory drugs are taken on a regular basis to prevent asthma attacks and control chronic symptoms. These include inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta2 agonists, cromolyn, leukotriene-antagonists, theophylline and omalizumab.
Quick relief medications are used to immediately control acute asthma attacks. Short-acting beta2 agonists are bronchodilators that relax and open constricted airways during an acute attack. They do not reduce inflammation or airway responsiveness. If an asthma attack is severe enough that a hospital visit is required, systemic corticosteroids will be given.
Alternative therapies for asthma include relaxation and stress reduction techniques, as asthma can be triggered by stress, the Buteyko Breathing Method, desigined to increase the leves of carbon dioxide in the body, probiotics and herbal remedies. Alternative therapies should be considered supplemental to traditional medical treatment, as most therapies have not been proven to be effective.
MANAGING ACUTE ATTACK
Take medicines as per the asthma action plan, consult your doctor immediately.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways, which constrict, narrow and swell when a person comes in contact with a trigger. This causes coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. The most common form of asthma is caused by allergies to certain triggers.
CAUSES
Asthma is caused by a combination of factors, which include genes, environmental and biological triggers, such as infections, dietary patterns, hormonal changes in women and allergens. Allergic asthma is one of the primary causes of asthma, but other types exist. Exercise-induced asthma and nocturnal asthma are two types not associated with allergies.
RISK FACTORS
Risk factors for asthma include gender, obesity, smoking, socio-economic status, living in urban environments, and geographical location.
SYMPTOMS
The symptoms of asthma can vary in severity and progress over a period of hours or days, after being exposed to triggers. Symptoms inlcude wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, chest tightness or pain, rapid heart rate, and sweating.
DIAGNOSIS
Being tested for asthma will typically include a medical history, including any pattern related to the symptoms or possible precipitating factors. Spirometry, which uses pulmonary function tests to study the air volume and flow rate within the lungs, can help detect asthma. Your doctor will look at vital capacity, peak expiratory flow rate and forced expiratory volume.
If you are experiencing symptoms of asthma, or just find that you are overly fatigued, it might be beneficial to talk to your doctor about getting tested for asthma. Talking to your doctor is the first step to getting a diagnosis and begin treating your asthma.
MANAGEMENT
Asthma action plan
Having an asthma action plan is an essential part of successful asthma management. The plan should be developed with your doctor and should include steps to take in three separate zones of asthma health. This will allow you to know what to do in any situation to prevent the problem from worsening.
lifestyle at home
Although household asthma triggers can not be completely eliminated there are steps you can take to "asthma-proof" your home as much as possible. The most common triggers in the home are dust mites, animal dander, urine and saliva, and mold. Taking steps to eliminate these triggers will do wonder for your asthma control.
Diet and exercise
Diet and exercise can be an important tool to control asthma. People who have asthma and are overweight may help reduce asthma symptoms if they lose weight. Long-term exercise may even help control asthma and reduce hospitalization. Healthy eating is also an important factor.
Emotional health
If you suffer from asthma, it is extremely important for you to manage your emotional health - especially your stress levels - as this can trigger symptoms, including shortness of breath and wheezing.
Minimise triggers
Determining what your asthma triggers are is the first step in controlling your asthma symptoms. Some of the top asthma triggers include stress, allergies, cold air, and exercise.
Compliance to Medicines
Even when an asthma patient is symptom-free, it is still very important to take their medications. Taking inhaled corticosteroids work better than any other asthma medicine at controlling chronic inflammation in the airways of asthmatics.
TREATMENT
Asthma maintenance medication is used to treat the underlying cause of asthma - inflammation in the airways and lungs. Long-term bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory drugs are taken on a regular basis to prevent asthma attacks and control chronic symptoms. These include inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta2 agonists, cromolyn, leukotriene-antagonists, theophylline and omalizumab.
Quick relief medications are used to immediately control acute asthma attacks. Short-acting beta2 agonists are bronchodilators that relax and open constricted airways during an acute attack. They do not reduce inflammation or airway responsiveness. If an asthma attack is severe enough that a hospital visit is required, systemic corticosteroids will be given.
Alternative therapies for asthma include relaxation and stress reduction techniques, as asthma can be triggered by stress, the Buteyko Breathing Method, desigined to increase the leves of carbon dioxide in the body, probiotics and herbal remedies. Alternative therapies should be considered supplemental to traditional medical treatment, as most therapies have not been proven to be effective.
MANAGING ACUTE ATTACK
Take medicines as per the asthma action plan, consult your doctor immediately.
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