Bronchial asthma is a pathology that is considered quite common in the modern world. There are many factors that can trigger a disease. These are allergens, psychological overstrain. The ailment is expressed in coughing fits and breathing disorders that periodically occur in the patient. Sometimes a person’s condition becomes so serious that suffocation occurs. This complication poses a threat to life. The article talks about how to relieve an asthma attack.
What factors provoke the development of the disease?
The disease occurs as a result of exposure to various irritants on the organs of the respiratory system. As a result of the entry of certain substances into the region of the bronchi, a sharp and pronounced spasm of the vessels occurs. The tissues of the throat and trachea are significantly narrowed. It becomes difficult for the patient to breathe. Sometimes asthma occurs against the background of an allergic reaction. Pollen, pet fur, cigarette smoke and dust most often cause individual intolerance. Getting into the respiratory tract, particles of these substances provoke an attack. During the flowering period of plants, patients often have an inflammatory process in the bronchial region. It is accompanied by the release of a large amount of mucus, the cessation of tears, cough, rhinitis, rashes on the surface of the skin. Sometimes the pathology does not develop due to allergies, but under the influence of other reasons. Deterioration is observed under the influence of irritants such as cigarette smoke, cosmetics and pungent cleansers, drugs, foods, physical stress or stress.
The reaction is not always instantaneous. Sometimes it occurs only after a few minutes. How to relieve an asthma attack? This question interests many. After all, a sharp deterioration in well-being occurs suddenly and it is necessary to help the patient as quickly as possible.
How to determine the approach of an attack?
The body of each patient is unique. The harbingers of deterioration in patients are manifested in different ways. Individuals who suffer from this disease should pay special attention to their well-being. Everyone should know what signs indicate an imminent deterioration. Speaking about how to relieve an asthma attack, it should be noted that there are general symptoms that indicate its approach. These include:
- Severe cough and discomfort in the throat.
- Frequent bouts of sneezing.
- Isolation of clear mucus from the nose.
- Headache.
- Feeling overwhelmed.
- Increased anxiety.
- Dizziness.
- Depression.
- Sleep disturbance.
The sooner these symptoms are detected, the faster the necessary assistance will be provided to the patient. Relatives of the patient need to know how to recognize the disease in time and how to relieve an asthma attack at home.
What should be done first?
As a rule, when the condition worsens, the patient feels anxiety. Anxiety is due to the fact that a person experiences a shortage of air. First of all, the patient must be reassured. It must be freed from tight clothes and accessories (unfasten the belt, collar, untie the tie, belt). You should open the window or window in the room in which the patient is located. This will provide him with an influx of fresh air. The patient needs to sit on a chair or chair, tilt the body forward and lean against the back, so that part of the body mass passes into the hands.
The elbow and knee joints should be in a bent position. Mustard must be placed on hands and feet. However, such a method can provoke an allergic reaction. It should be used very carefully. It is better if people around know in advance that mustard does not cause individual intolerance in the patient. You can make a bath with warm water for the arms and legs or a compress on the area of the heart muscle with a cloth soaked in salt and vinegar.
There are several other ways to alleviate the condition of the patient. How to relieve an asthma attack without medication is discussed in the next section.
Other help methods
Patients suffering from such an ailment should always carry a special device - an inhaler, even when their condition is stable and no worsening has been observed for a long time.
However, if such a device was not at hand, an attack can be avoided using the following methods:
- Grind a few onions. With the resulting mass, rub the area between the shoulder blades, cover with a layer of paper and woolen fabric. The lotion should be kept on the surface of the skin for three hours.
- How to relieve an attack of bronchial asthma quickly? To reduce the feeling of lack of air, you need to put the patient on his back and with his hands ten times to press on the area of his chest during exhalation.
- You can do massage with talcum powder or cream. Keep your upper body warm from head to back. Hand movements should be directed from top to bottom.
- You can smell ammonia.
These are the most famous ways to relieve an asthma attack without medication. However, there are other folk methods.
Means for oral administration
In the event of an attack, barley coffee helps to alleviate the condition. You can swallow a few small slices of ice. If a patient has coughing attacks with thick mucus discharge, he is recommended to drink a little wine with a sour taste or take baking soda (on the tip of a knife). In addition, valerian extract is useful for people with this disease.
How to relieve an asthma attack with this tool? 15-20 drops of tincture are dissolved in a glass of water and taken orally. Healing plants are often used as a method of therapy. How to relieve an asthma attack at home with herbs? This is described in the next section.
Herbal preparations
To thin the mucus and eliminate cough, a decoction of viburnum berries is used. Yarrow helps to cope with allergic reactions. In addition, as folk methods of therapy, such plants as garden turnip, coltsfoot (leaves), elderberry (flowers) are used. These funds can prevent or relieve an attack of bronchial asthma at home. However, before using such methods, you should consult a doctor.
How to do inhalation yourself?
If for some reason the patient did not have the device at hand, you can use this recipe. Three drops of iodine and two small tablespoons of salt should be dissolved in a glass of hot water. The resulting liquid is used as an inhalation. However, this method gives a good effect only with mild symptoms.
Drug therapy
If the patient's condition rapidly worsens, it is necessary to call an ambulance service. It should be reported what funds the patient took before the arrival of the doctor.
As a rule, doctors use funds in the form of aerosols to relieve an asthma attack. To medicines of this kind include: “Berodual”, “Salbutamol”, “Symbicort”. It is necessary to inject an adrenaline rush. This drug helps to eliminate spasm, reduces the amount of sputum in the bronchi. The medication usually acts quickly (after five to eight minutes). Sometimes the patient needs an additional injection. However, the use of the drug often leads to the appearance of side effects (accelerated heart rate, pain in the head, chills).
Often, patients with asthma are given an injection of ephedrine. This medication is slower than adrenaline. The effect of its use can be felt only after a quarter of an hour. Depending on the condition of the patient, doctors give an intravenous or intramuscular injection of ephedrine.
In addition, such remedies are used to eliminate the symptoms of pathology: Pipolfen, Eufillin, Atropine, Pantopon, cardiac glycosides, Papaverine, No-shpa. Use these medications only by specialists who know how to quickly relieve an asthma attack with medications.
Inpatient Therapy
In severe cases, the patient must be hospitalized. In addition to medicines, in a hospital a person with asthma can receive other types of treatment. For example, with an acute lack of oxygen, it is connected to a special device - an artificial respiration apparatus. When the patient's condition becomes stable, the doctor recommends physiotherapy. They contribute to the discharge of accumulated sputum.
Precautions
Asthma is a pathology that, of course, gives people a lot of discomfort. An attack of an ailment, as a rule, develops suddenly and causes a sharp deterioration in well-being. However, most adults and young patients with such a disease can lead a full life if they follow all the doctor's recommendations and use the prescribed drugs.
Such people should always carry a special device - an inhaler. The device will help eliminate the symptoms of an attack if it begins outside the home. As a rule, if asthma was diagnosed in childhood, its symptoms disappear by about twenty years. The prognosis for adult patients (provided there are no serious concomitant pathologies) in most cases is favorable.
You must be careful about your health and avoid exposure to factors that can trigger an attack. These include allergenic substances (household chemicals, perfumes and eau de toilette, detergents, animal fur, dust, some plants and products), exhaust fumes, cigarette smoke. Physical stress, emotional overload, and respiratory infections can also cause deterioration.
Reviews from specialists and patients indicate that such measures help to avoid malaise. If an asthma attack occurs (even if it happened for the first time), you need to see a doctor.