Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease and, as a rule, episodic. This is the most severe form of allergy. Hypersensitivity of the bronchi to various environmental influences leads to chronic inflammation.
The disease may have a hereditary or acquired form. We will consider bronchial asthma - pathogenesis, clinic, treatment of this disease. All this is very important to know and study well if there is a person in the family suffering from this pathology.
Basic concepts
This is a serious pathology that interferes with normal breathing due to narrowed pathways leading to the lungs. Attacks can go away on their own, but in a heavier farm, only drugs help. What is the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma? The scheme of the disease is such that due to the excess of the produced mucus, spasms and inflammatory edema, the walls of the bronchus thicken and the lumen between them narrows. As a result, there is not enough air coming in, which leads to systematic attacks of suffocation, coughing, wheezing and other vivid symptoms of asthma.
According to statistics, 5% of the European population, predominantly young age, suffers from this ailment. As a rule, these are children under 10 years old. Despite the fact that medicine constantly examines this pathology associated with hyperactivity of the bronchi, the causes of its development, treatment and prevention are still not fully understood. The etiology and pathogenesis of bronchial asthma often confuse scientists. But how does this disease develop?
Pathogenesis of bronchial asthma
Pathogenesis - a mechanism for the development of a disease - consists of 2 stages:
- Immunological When an exciting allergen enters the immune system, inflammation of the mucous membrane occurs.
- Pathophysiological. The natural reaction of the bronchi to the inflammatory process that occurs in the body.
The mechanism of the appearance of bronchospasm is structured as follows: for a long time, the irritant has an effect on the mucosa of the bronchial tree . The mucous membrane swells, and hypersecretion occurs, which causes seizures. What happens to the body with the development of bronchial asthma?
Pathogenesis is accompanied by the following disorders:
- Hypestrogenemia, leading to an increase in the activity of α-adrenergic receptors and a decrease in the efficiency of β-adrenergic receptors. With external exposure to the allergen, bronchospasm develops simultaneously with these processes.
- Glucocorticosteroid insufficiency increases the level of histamine and the tone of the bronchi, which become sensitive to irritants.
- Hyperthyroidism The disease worsens and develops rapidly in people who have an increased amount of thyroid hormones.
The pathogenesis of bronchial asthma is determined as a result of clinical and pathological examination. Changes in the body can be both internal and external. External factors that influenced the development of pathology:
- psychoemotional state;
- stress
- physical exercise;
- exposure to allergens;
- the influence of chemical irritants;
- adverse climate.
Internal factors:
- disturbances in the endocrine system;
- weak immunity;
- hyperactivity of the bronchi.
House dust is one of the main provocateurs that leads to asthma. It contains many microorganisms that are strong allergens.
Severity of seizures
Despite the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma and the course of the disease, immediate measures must be taken. The attack can be short or last several hours. After him, the patient becomes much better, and it seems that he has completely recovered.
It all depends on the phase of the disease. A person may experience mild airway obstruction. A severe stage can occur within a few days and drag on for weeks. This form is called asthmatic status. Such outbreaks are very dangerous and can cause death.
Each form of pathogenesis has its own pathogenetic mechanisms. Of the general, a change in the reactivity and sensitivity of the bronchi can be distinguished, evaluated in response to a physical or pharmacological effect.
When the reason is heredity
A person with a genetic predisposition to asthma may never feel its manifestation, or it will make itself felt at any age:
- 50% - children's age (up to 10 years);
- 30% - up to 40 years;
- 20% - after 50 years.
Hereditary factor is a fundamental cause of the development of the disease. If parents suffered from asthma, then the likelihood that the disease will be transmitted to the child is 30%. However, pathology alone cannot manifest itself, it must provoke something.
That is, with a combination of internal, external factors and the fact of a hereditary predisposition, the risk of triggering the mechanism of infectious inflammation increases several times.
Provoking Asthma Factors
The respiratory tract in people with asthma is extremely irritable and sensitive. The provoking substances that cause seizures are called triggers in another way:
- weather;
- ecological situation;
- pollen, mold, mushrooms;
- emotional irritants;
- excessive physical activity;
- smoking, tobacco smoke;
- medicines
- food products;
- house ticks;
- animals.
Each person has a different pathogenesis of bronchial asthma, attacks can be caused by one or more irritants.
External influence
In most cases, asthma is a few factors that acted simultaneously on the body. They are conditionally divided into several groups:
- infections
- allergens
- mechanical and chemical irritants;
- meteorological factors;
- medicines.
Allergens include house dust, plant pollen, food, medicine, insects, animals. Infectious pathogens: bacteria, viruses, fungus. Mechanical and chemical irritants: cotton or silicate dust, smoke, alkali and acid fumes. Meteorological impacts include any changes in weather and atmospheric pressure.
Asthma can be provoked by b-blockers used to combat hypertension, painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs. Triggers can change over the course of the disease.
When the problem is inside
Bronchial asthma can develop due to persistent disruption of the immune system, endocrine system, metabolism, increased work of receptors in the bronchial mucosa, failures in the nervous system. All these signs are the result of an improper lifestyle, an infectious disease, living in poor environmental conditions.
Etiology of bronchial asthma
The etiology and pathogenesis of bronchial asthma is that the disease is heterogeneous and is associated with clinical and epidemiological causes that cause acute episodes. However, it is important to note that this distinction is often artificial and affects the classification subcategory.
With respect to the molecular level, the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma is of two types: allergic and peculiar. The first, as a rule, is associated with a family history of such diseases:
- eczema;
- rhinitis;
- reactions of erythematous papules;
- hives.
The initial manifestation of the pathology may be accompanied by symptoms resembling a common cold, but after a few days shortness of breath, whistles, wheezing and other signs of bronchial asthma appear.
Symptomatology
Depending on the severity and form, bronchial asthma has different symptoms. Etiology, pathogenesis, classification are formed according to such pronounced signs as a slight cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain or asthma attacks. With the last symptoms, a doctor’s examination is a necessary and vital procedure.
When the examination has been completed and diagnosed, an inhaler is usually prescribed. But in those cases when its use is performed more often than has been prescribed, you need to urgently seek help from a treating doctor.
If within 1-2 days the symptoms do not go away, and the inhaler does not help, hospitalization will be required. During a period of asthma attacks and difficulty speaking, an ambulance is called.
Associated symptoms
At the time of exacerbation, the patient has an increased reaction to pungent odors and temperature changes. This indicates inflammatory processes and the activation of drug therapy. One of the most striking signs is an improvement in the condition from taking antihistamines (Zirtek, Cetrin, etc.) and, accordingly, after inhalation. Additional symptoms:
- dizziness, headache;
- general malaise and weakness;
- tachycardia (heart palpitations);
- blue skin;
- signs of emphysema.
It is impossible to remove asthmatic status using traditional therapy; this attack is accompanied by prolonged suffocation and impaired consciousness. This condition can cause death.
An asthmatic reaction regarding the rate of response of the bronchi to an allergen can be early or late. In the first case, seizures begin after 1-2 minutes and end after 20 minutes. The total duration of an asthmatic condition can last up to 2 hours. The late stage causes bronchial hyperactivity after 4-6 hours, the culmination occurs after 8 hours. The duration of the attack is 12 hours.
Complications:
- emphysematous disturbances in the work of the lungs;
- acute respiratory failure ;
- when air enters the pleural cavity, pneumothorax develops.
By etiology, several forms of asthma are distinguished:
- exogenous (provoked by an allergen);
- endogenous (provoked by stress and infections);
- mixed genesis.
The most common asthma is bronchial asthma , which occurs due to a genetic predisposition to allergic reactions.
What is important to know
The first thing to do is to consult a doctor, undergo a full examination, establish an accurate diagnosis and receive treatment recommendations. Only a doctor knows what a disease such as bronchial asthma, etiology, pathogenesis, clinic, treatment. It is important that the patient himself and all his relatives are always ready for new attacks and know how to help.
To provide effective assistance, you need to have comprehensive information about all the symptoms, stages and forms of the disease. It is important to know what the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma is. Briefly, you can advise the following: a clear treatment plan should be drawn up with instructions that explain what to do with acute attacks. No recommendation, advice or prescription of a doctor can be ignored, it can cost the patient’s life. Medications are taken strictly for their intended purpose, exclusively at the indicated doses and at a specific time.
At hand, wherever the patient is, he and his loved ones should always have the necessary medicines, first aid drugs and an inhaler. It is also important to keep a diary of symptoms, record their change and identify irritants that affect a person's condition. It is important not to panic at the first attacks, but to clearly follow the plan.
Doctors are still carefully studying bronchial asthma. Etiology, pathogenesis, clinic of the disease make it possible to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe competent treatment. As a rule, the doctor prescribes inhalers, aerosols, and in the presence of infection, antibiotics are prescribed. As a preventative measure, the most important recommendation remains the exclusion of factors that trigger seizures. To do this, you need to monitor the cleanliness of the house, avoid environmentally polluted places, quit smoking and take all prescribed medications.