Respiratory diseases are different. Some are temporary ailments that are quickly treatable. Others are considered dangerous diseases that require lengthy and expensive therapy.
Which of the following categories of ailments can include asthma? Symptoms of the disease that cause painful discomfort need urgent and long-term correction with medication and other means. Is the disease really so dangerous?
How does asthma start? Is it possible to determine it in time in order to prescribe timely and effective treatment? What are the signs of asthma? Is it possible to prevent their occurrence? How to help yourself or another person at the first sign of an asthma attack? And in general, is it possible to cure this disease? This and much more can be found in the information below.
Definition of ailment
What is asthma disease? Many people, even those with little knowledge of medicine, understand that its manifestation is associated with shortness of breath and lack of air, when a person, if you do not help in time, can suffocate. But why is this happening? Let's find out.
What happens in the body
Simply put, asthma is a pathology of the respiratory organs. The disease is a consequence of the inflammatory process that occurs in the respiratory tract, however, it is not an infectious disease.
In the process of the disease, the airways adjacent to the lungs suffer changes. At the beginning of an asthmatic attack, they narrow, due to which the bronchi can become inflamed and swell. As a result, they accumulate sputum, which thickens and prevents the patient from breathing normally. So an attack of suffocation can begin.
According to official figures, asthma affects twice as many women as men. The disease can develop in childhood and progress over the years. Thus, a chronic form of asthma occurs. With timely treatment, you can completely get rid of the disease. At least it is possible to minimize the number of asthma attacks by minimizing their undesirable manifestation.
However, before talking about the methods of therapy, let's find out why the disease occurs, how it is classified, and also discuss in detail the main symptoms.
What is the culprit of the disease
It is not fully understood why asthma occurs in children or adults. However, scientists have identified specific factors that are its provocateur. Here is some of them:
- Heredity or genetic predisposition. That is, if one of the parents has asthma, then the symptoms of the disease can occur in a small child.
- Internal pathology. Usually, asthma in adults is diagnosed with impaired metabolism or overweight.
- Tendency to allergies. Most often, it is in allergy sufferers with experience that a disease such as asthma is diagnosed over time.
What can provoke allergic reactions leading to severe attacks of suffocation? First of all, it is:
- wool from pets;
- ordinary dust;
- cleaning and detergents (powders, gels, varnishes);
- some foods (it can be citrus fruits, chocolate, seasonings and so on);
- mold or fungus;
- cigarette smoke;
- individual medicines;
- bad habits;
- smells and aromas.
If we talk about the manifestations of the disease in newborns, then it is worth considering what the mother eats (if the baby is breast-fed) or what is included in the mixture (if the toddler is an artisan).
However, this is not all that can trigger asthma in children or adults. Additional factors include:
- infectious or viral diseases;
- colds, respiratory infections;
- weakened immunity;
- frequent intake of aspirin tablets;
- prolonged use of certain pharmacological drugs.
So, we got acquainted with the causes of the disease. Now let's find out how the first signs of asthma appear.
Dangerous calls
The main symptoms of asthma are spasms that form in the bronchi as a response to odors that irritate a person. However, the disease does not always appear in an instant. Often the patient has disturbing symptoms for a period of time, which may indicate the development of a serious pathology. What should I look for?
One of the first symptoms of asthma is the constant urge to cough, aggravated at night. At this stage, the ailment can be confused with the common cold. Cough with asthma is strong, dry, angry, accompanied by a sensation of sore throat.
Also, the patient must be alert for difficulty breathing during a conversation, especially if it is difficult to take a full deep breath.
Breathing may be accompanied by wheezing with a noticeable whistling. Dyspnea, which appears even with a minimal load, is another dangerous symptom in asthma, indicating the onset of the disease. Nasal congestion, allergic rhinitis are another signs of bronchial disease.
Depending on the symptoms, asthma is classified into species and subspecies. Let's talk about this in more detail.
Bronchial view
This ailment is the most common form of asthma. In turn, it is divided into several subspecies:
- allergic
- professional;
- nightly;
- cough
- asthma stress.
Depending on the severity, the disease is divided into several stages: the first, second, third and fourth. How to determine this or that stage of asthma? Very simple: it is necessary to calculate how often the patient has seizures.
The first stage has a mild form and is marked by a single attack in three to four days. Moreover, the exacerbation does not last long, and nightly attacks of suffocation occur once a month.
The second stage is characterized by seizures that occur no more than once a day. At the same time, nightly suffocation worries the patient three, or even four times a month. The disease is accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms - insomnia and pressure surges.
The third stage involves constant exacerbations. Sensations of suffocation appear at least once a day, at night the disease bothers the patient every other day. Against this background, the general condition of the patient worsens, other organs suffer.
The fourth stage is a severe form of asthma. Attacks bother the patient several times a day, very often at night. Because of this, the patient leads a very limited lifestyle, forced to constantly be at home.
Allergic subspecies
It is the most common type of bronchial asthma. It is he who is diagnosed in many children and is the body's response to all kinds of irritants (animal hair, fluff, smoke, pollen, aromas, dust and so on). It is accompanied by allergic rhinitis, sneezing, coughing and profuse lacrimation.
The treatment of asthma of this type is the appointment of antihistamines that suppress the allergic reactions of the body.
Aspirin subspecies
It is diagnosed in a quarter of patients suffering from asthma. It can provoke, as is already clear from the name itself, aspirin and drugs based on it. Also irritants can be substances similar to aspirin in chemical composition.
Such bronchial asthma is accompanied by frequent attacks of suffocation, inflammatory processes in the nasopharynx, and the presence of polyps on the mucous membranes. Very rarely, an aspirin subspecies is diagnosed in children. Women from thirty to forty years old fall into the risk zone.
Asthma stress
It is accompanied by a strong cough and shortness of breath, resulting from an increase in physical activity. The use of inhalers that can mechanically stop an attack is considered asthma treatment for this subspecies.
Cough subspecies
As the name implies, the main symptom of this type of bronchial disease is a strong prolonged cough. It can occur against the background of colds, infections, and physical exertion. This type of asthma is very difficult to recognize; a pulmonary function test is used to identify it.
Professional Subtype
It occurs in a person directly at the place of work and is accompanied by symptoms such as coughing, lacrimation, runny nose. The intensity of these manifestations decreases on the weekend. Such a disease is most often diagnosed by hairdressers, joiners, artists.
Night subspecies
Symptoms intensify at night. This is very dangerous, because at this time of day, due to the horizontal position of the body and sleep, the lung performance decreases and the circadian rhythm is disrupted.
Cardiac asthma
How is this type of ailment manifested? First of all, you should know that the disease develops against the background of cardiac pathologies, namely, disorders in the functioning and functioning of the left ventricle. Because of this, the outflow of blood from the lungs is disturbed, blood pressure rises, and blood circulation in the brain worsens. Attacks occur most often at night, after stress experienced during the day or physical activity.
What is the cause of the development of the disease? First of all - a sedentary lifestyle, overweight, constant excitement or overwork, alcohol abuse.
Among the symptoms of cardiac asthma, breathing difficulties when inhaling, swelling of veins in the neck, pallor of the skin, agitation, panic fear during an attack, and profuse sweating are especially distinguished.
This type of disease is accompanied by the release of a large amount of sputum. In asthma of the initial stage, sputum is excreted in small quantities and is almost colorless. If you do not treat the disease, then sputum becomes more abundant, blood impurities are added, because of which it becomes light pink.
Little patients
As mentioned above, asthma is often diagnosed in childhood.
And although it is very difficult to cure, in adolescence, the main symptoms of the disease can still disappear. Especially if serious and thoughtful therapy has been applied.
In children, asthma has the following forms:
Most often, the disease is caused by allergens and manifests itself in prolonged attacks, during which a cough can bother the baby for several days. Then the child begins to feel good and leads an active lifestyle. This condition is called remission.
It is very important that the pathogens provoking his attacks are not in the field of vision of the baby. Therefore, caring parents should always adhere to such simple rules:
- all cabinets and bookshelves in the house must be tightly closed;
- it is impossible that the apartment had feather or down duvets, pillows;
- it is recommended to avoid soft toys;
- cleaning and washing products should also be far away from the baby’s nose;
- regular wet cleaning in the house;
- it is better to refuse pets, if they are available - they should be carefully looked after, bathing the animal and combing his hair.
And, of course, the baby should be shown to the doctor. In general, asthma cannot be treated on its own, based on the experience of acquaintances or relatives. Moreover, when it comes to the health of the child, it is urgent to contact a specialist and impeccably follow his recommendations.
Expectant mothers and disease
If a young woman had asthma before conception, then you should not hope that during the period of bearing the fetus her condition will improve. This happens only in fourteen percent of cases. Moreover, well-being may be worse.
During pregnancy, when a woman’s body is already overstrained, asthma may occur for the first time. The main signs of the onset of an attack are causeless runny nose, sore throat, chest pain, shortness of breath, pallor or cyanosis of the skin, profuse sweating, cough with a small amount of sputum.
The attack can last for several days, which negatively affects the health of the baby. Can I take asthma medications during pregnancy? Of course, and do not be afraid to harm the child with the so-called "chemistry." The fact is that asthmatic symptoms will harm the baby much more - it can simply suffocate!
Most often, doctors advise future mothers to use inhalers and avoid allergens.
How to identify an ailment
To determine the disease, a blood test is prescribed, as well as additional examinations:
- test for lung function (spirometry);
- peak flow measurement, which helps determine the air flow rate;
- allergen tests and other types of studies.
If we are talking about cardiac asthma, then doctors prescribe ECG and ultrasound of the heart, doppler.
Only after a comprehensive examination is diagnosed with asthma.
Drug therapy
It is clear that treatment is prescribed depending on the type of disease. In bronchial asthma, anti-inflammatory drugs that block seizures are provided. These include drugs based on prednisone.
If the patient is diagnosed with moderate to severe asthma, it is necessary to use bronchodilators that expand the bronchi. These may be preparations based on ventolin (for inhalation), berodual, aminophylline (for intravenous use) or theophylline (for oral use).
To improve the condition at the time of the attack, ambulances are special inhalers for asthmatics who can stop the attack and stop it.
How to treat cardiac asthma? Most often, therapy is carried out in a hospital setting. Prescribe narcotic analgesics, antipsychotics, nitrates, antihypertensive and antihistamines. The course of treatment and dosage are selected only by the attending physician, based on the patient’s medical history.
Thanks to the therapy described above, as well as the necessary lifestyle adjustments, it is quite possible to minimize the frequency of seizures and extend the time of remission.
Treatment with folk remedies
Despite the fact that many people actively use folk recipes in the treatment of the disease, it is very important in this regard to be balanced and cautious. Such treatment should in no case be independent. Best of all, if folk remedies go in conjunction with medications, and then after consulting with your doctor.
Some time-tested recipes can be found below:
- Potato Pairs Boil several large potatoes in a peel, put the pan on the table, bend over it and breathe for several minutes. The procedure can be repeated twice a day.
- Mix one milliliter of garlic juice with 3 ml of a half-percent solution of novocaine. Add the resulting mixture in the amount of one and a half milliliters to a glass of boiling water. Use this liquid for inhalation once or twice a day.
- For internal use, mono prepare such a tool: in half a glass of water, dilute thirty drops of ordinary peroxide (hydrogen). Drink the solution on an empty stomach every morning. In parallel with this, honey and badger fat should be taken at night in the amount of an ode of a teaspoon of each ingredient.
- Also, according to reviews, a mixture of aloe (a quarter kilogram), honey (350 g) and wine (half a liter) is very effective. However, there is a small recommendation - aloe leaves should be cut after the plant has not been watered for two weeks. It is also impossible to rinse it with water. So, mix the prepared ingredients and send them to the refrigerator for ten days. After that, we use the drug one teaspoon two or three times a day.
- Coltsfoot and nettle smoke help block attacks. To do this, plant leaves must be thoroughly dried and set on fire. If you use this method regularly, the number of seizures will be significantly reduced.
- For long-term oral treatment, an infusion of five shredded middle leaves of plantain, one hundred grams of rose petals, a half kilogram of raw grated pumpkin, two tablespoons of honey and a liter of red dry wine is suitable. Combine all components, bring to a boil and insist for a day. After the remedy, it is necessary to strain and take five times a day, one tablespoon.
Asthma breathing exercises
Many experts believe that special gymnastic exercises can help patients overcome their ailment. Especially if you use them in addition to medical treatment.
What is breathing exercises for asthma? There are several methods that improve the functioning of the respiratory apparatus, which means that they reduce the frequency of bronchospasm and asthma attacks. What exercises should be performed?
For example, slopes. Starting position - standing or sitting on a chair. The body is tilted forward, the head is lowered, the back should be rounded, and the arms should be bent at the elbows. Then the person should take a short noisy breath, and with the next quiet calm exhalation it is necessary to slowly straighten up. Repeat such exercises until you feel a slight fatigue.
The next exercise is called “hug your shoulders.” Standing, the patient bends his elbows and raises them to shoulder level. Then you need to sharply hug yourself with your palms. Performing this exercise, it is recommended to monitor proper breathing. During the so-called hug, a noisy breath should be sharply carried out. Taking the starting position, you need to make a slow, calm exhale.
You can learn more about the necessary complex of breathing exercises for asthmatics from the video below.
Help with asthma
What to do if an asthmatic attack occurs in your presence? First of all, you should reassure a person and not panic yourself. Next, you need to sit the patient on a chair, unfasten clothes on it, open a window or use a fan to provide him with an air flow.
It is important to encourage people to breathe properly. If necessary, you can massage his nose wings.
Be sure to use a special inhaler that asthmatics always carry with them, and also help the patient take medications that block an allergic reaction. If the attack is protracted, you must call an ambulance.
But what if you suffer from asthma? Always carry an inhaler and other medication recommended by your doctor to block the attack. Warn people with whom you work or study that choking can begin abruptly and tell them how they can help you. And most importantly - do not panic!
I wish you good health!