Almost everyone knows about the existence of bronchial asthma. And specifically for people with this disease, the instructions for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provide a separate paragraph warning about possible side effects. This is due to the fact that there is aspirin bronchial asthma, and taking such drugs can not only not bring benefits, but also noticeably harm health.
Let's talk more about this disease, its symptoms, as well as methods of treatment and prevention.
What is aspirin asthma
So, what is the disease that will be discussed? Aspirin asthma is one of the forms of bronchial asthma. It appears as a result of intolerance to the body of preparations containing aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid and other NSAIDs).
As a rule, the disease begins to manifest itself after suffering atopic bronchial asthma, so it does not occur among children. Usually, pathology affects people aged 30 to 50 years. Moreover, as statistics show, more often than not women suffer from it.
The mechanism of the development of the disease
The appearance of aspirin asthma is associated with metabolic disorders of certain types of acids in the body. A hereditary predisposition or viral infections can contribute to this.
In healthy people in the body, under the influence of the cyclooxygenase enzyme, arachidonic acid is converted into substances that contribute to the appearance of an inflammatory reaction (thromboxane, prostoglandin). The principle of action of acetylsalicylic acid and other NSAIDs is that aspirin, which is in their composition, blocks this enzyme, and the development of the inflammatory reaction stops.
In patients with aspirin bronchial asthma, some differences in the functioning of the body are observed. Instead of cyclooxygenase, he uses lipoxygenase to process arachidonic acid. This provokes the formation of leukotrienes, which contribute to swelling of the bronchi, as well as the appearance of viscous sputum and severe spasm. The result of this is the development of an attack of severe suffocation.
What medications can trigger aspirin asthma
As mentioned above, aspirin is found not only in acetylsalicylic acid, but also in many other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). The most famous of them are as follows:
- Diclofenac.
- Indomethacin.
- Ketorolac.
- "Meloxicam."
- "Phenylbutazone".
- Ibuprofen
- Ketoprofen.
- Lornoxicam.
- Nimesulide.
- "Phenylbutazone.
In addition, special care should be taken when taking tablets coated with a yellow coating. They may contain tartazin, the use of which is strictly prohibited with aspirin bronchial asthma.
Pain medication in the presence of disease
Everyone knows that NSAIDs have an excellent antipyretic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect. What if their use is simply necessary? What kind of pain medication can be taken with aspirin asthma?
A very effective remedy is Paracetamol. It has a fast action and practically does not cause symptoms of intolerance to aspirin preparations. But before using it, it is necessary to consult a doctor to determine the maximum permissible dose in order to avoid the occurrence of adverse reactions.
Symptoms of aspirin bronchial asthma
How does aspirin asthma work? Symptoms may vary depending on the severity of the disease. Consider those options that are accurate indicators of the pathological process.
Firstly, the development of rhinitis is characteristic of aspirin asthma. It is accompanied by nasal congestion, the appearance of discharge from it and a decrease in smell. Pain in the frontal part of the head may be observed. In addition, polyps can appear in the nose and sinuses.
Secondly, aspirin asthma provokes the occurrence of a severe attack of suffocation. Sometimes this leads to loss of consciousness. In some cases, the disease can cause hives, severe itching, gastrointestinal upsets and conjunctivitis.
Urgent measures for signs of disease
Aspirin asthma is not a congenital disease, so up to a certain point they may not even be aware of it. Symptoms appear already 5-10 minutes after taking NSAIDs, so when they are detected, it is important to take all necessary measures:
- Gastric lavage. To do this, the patient needs to drink about one liter of boiled water and press the root of the tongue in order to provoke the appearance of a gag reflex. If after the action has taken the tablet has fallen out, no special measures need to be taken anymore. If not, then go to the second point.
- Prevent poisoning of the body and the continued development of allergic reactions. To do this, you need to drink 10 tablets of activated charcoal and one tablet of any antihistamine drug (Claritin, Tavegil, Suprastin, etc.).
In this case, after the end of the attack, it is necessary to consult an allergist. He will conduct special tests to identify the disease and prescribe the necessary treatment. In this case, all possible features of the body will be taken into account.
Treatment of aspirin bronchial asthma
Aspirin asthma is treated only in a hospital under the constant supervision of specialists. This will help to avoid or timely eliminate the appearance of possible reactions and side effects.
One way to treat this is through desensitization. The essence of the process is that the patient is given drugs that contain aspirin. This happens at regular intervals with a constant increase in the dose of the active substance. The method is quite tough and can often result in asthma attacks. That is why it is recommended to increase the dose of aspirin once a day, and not during each dose.
There are some contraindications to the use of this method of treatment: pregnancy, a stomach ulcer or duodenal ulcer, bleeding. In these cases, aspirin is used as an inhalation.
If there is poor tolerance of the patient to desensitization, hemosorption is first prescribed. With mild symptoms of the disease, this process is enough to completely cure. If not, then a week later desensitization is carried out again.
At the end of the course of treatment, the patient is prescribed aspirin for a year already on an outpatient basis. This should be done after a meal with a sufficient amount of alkaline mineral water. As a result, the body gets used to the action of the drug, and allergic reactions no longer occur.
To reduce the production of leukotrienes, which are the provocateurs of the development of the disease, the use of antagonists is practiced. The use of these drugs is possible in the form of tablets or by inhalation. It is important to remember that these funds must be used only in combination with other components of therapy, since they are not able to defeat the disease on their own. Although the total number of seizures after their use is markedly reduced.
In parallel with the treatment of aspirin asthma, there is a deliverance from concomitant diseases: sinusitis, rhinitis, and so on. For this, symptomatic therapy is used.
Diet for Aspirin Asthma
For successful treatment, taking medications is not enough. Another prerequisite is compliance with the diet. What can and cannot be used in food with a diagnosis of aspirin asthma? A diet developed by experts prohibits the following products:
- Meat: sausages and sausages, boiled pork, ham.
- Fruits and berries: apricots, oranges, apples, peaches, grapes, plums, raisins, melon, prunes, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, black currants, cherries.
- Vegetables: cucumbers, potatoes, peppers (sweet and bitter), tomatoes, zucchini.
- Seafood: Shrimp.
- Cereals: corn and popcorn.
- Sweets: chewing gum, caramel, honey, jam, sweets with flavors of mint, licorice, fruit and berries.
- Semi-finished products and canned food.
- Alcohol: dry wine, champagne, beer.
Despite a considerable number of prohibitions, patients can safely use cereals, eggs, dairy products, homemade meat (in small quantities), fish, etc. The main thing you should pay attention to when buying is the composition of the product. It should not contain salicylates, even in the smallest quantities.
Prevention Methods
How to protect yourself from the appearance of signs of a disease such as aspirin asthma? First of all, it is necessary to exclude from use all drugs that contain aspirin, salicylates, tartazin. In the previous section, we examined the list of prohibited products, so we will not address this issue again.
Those who still do not know about the presence of a possible disease, need to be careful about taking aspirin-containing drugs and NSAIDs, clearly adhere to the instructions and the maximum permitted dosage, do not use them for other purposes.
Also, everyone needs to familiarize themselves with the procedure for an asthma attack. As they say, warned - means armed.
Be healthy!