Bronchial Asthma Symptoms, Treatments, Diagnosis, Causes

This article will cover Bronchial Asthma Symptoms, Treatments, Diagnosis, Causes and many more in detail.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease that makes breathing difficult. Asthma causes inflammation of the airways, through which oxygen enters the lungs, and inflammation becomes the cause of their temporary narrowing.

All this provokes certain symptoms, including coughing, wheezing, lack of air (shortness of breath) and a feeling of tightness in the chest. Some people call asthma "bronchial asthma."

Although there are seemingly miraculous drugs, but this disease - asthma should be taken seriously. This serious, even dangerous disease affects more than 22 million people around the world and causes more than 2 million ambulance calls a year. With the correct treatment of asthma, you can feel great and live a full life. But improper treatment limits the ability of physical activity and human activity. Poor monitoring of the course of the disease can result in frequent calls of the ambulance and even hospitalization, which accordingly negatively affects personal life and work.

In each subsequent section, there are articles that reveal a specific topic in more detail. Carefully read each section, and you will have a better understanding of what asthma is, how it is diagnosed and how it is treated.

Here are three main features of asthma:

Violation of airway patency

With normal breathing, the ligaments of the muscle tissues surrounding the airways are in a relaxed state, so oxygen freely enters the lungs. But in people with asthma, the elements that cause an allergic reaction cause the muscle tissues around the airways to contract strongly and oxygen can not flow freely. The lack of oxygen causes a person to have difficulty breathing, and the air passing through narrowed paths causes a whistle, which is called wheezing.

(Fortunately, narrowing of the respiratory tract is reversible, this is a feature that distinguishes asthma from other diseases that affect the lungs, for example, bronchitis or emphysema.)

Inflammation

In patients with asthma, bronchi and bronchioles become red and swollen. From the inflammation, most suffer from the lungs. Therefore, the treatment of inflammation is the main point in controlling the course of the disease.

Irritation of the respiratory tract

Respiratory tract in asthmatic patients is particularly sensitive. Respiratory tracts react sharply and severely narrowed by the action of even an insignificant pathogen such as pollen, animal hair, dust or smoke.

Asthma in adults

Asthma affects more than 22 million people around the world. Asthma can develop at any age, although still more common in young people, up to 40 years.

In people with a hereditary predisposition to asthma, the risk of developing this disease is much higher. Allergies and asthma often go hand in hand. Smoking with asthma is very dangerous, but many people continue to smoke.

Although asthma can develop at any age, but in adults, asthma attacks occur much more often. If you have asthma symptoms, be sure to see a doctor. The doctor will tell you how to use inhalers and other medications to prevent further development of the disease and breathing problems.

Asthma in children

Asthma more and more affects children. Practically every tenth child has asthma. This is a terrible statistics, which scientists have been trying to find an explanation lately. More than 6.5 million children under the age of 18 are diagnosed with asthma. Compared with the 1980 data, the incidence of asthma in children has doubled.

Symptoms of asthma can vary from age to age in the same child. The signs and symptoms of asthma are the following:

• Frequent cough that occurs during physical activity, at night during sleep or when the child laughs. It is very important not to forget that coughing with asthma can be the only sign of the disease.


• Lack of vitality


• Rapid breathing


• Complaints of pressure or chest pain


• Whistling sound when inhaled or exhaled. A whistling sound is called a wheezing.


• Strong chest movement, which causes shortness of breath. These movements are called retraction.


• Shortness of breath, shortness of breath, shortness of breath


• The feeling of compression in the neck and chest


• Feeling of inexplicable weakness or fatigue

 

 

Causes and agents of asthma

People with asthma have very sensitive respiratory tracts that react sharply to various pathogens that are in the environment and are called "asthma triggers." Contact with these pathogens causes progression or worsening of asthma symptoms. Here are some of the most common asthma pathogens:

• Infections such as sinusitis (a disease of the nasal sinuses), colds and flu


• Allergens such as pollen and spores of plants, animal hair, dust


• Irritants such as parfums or cleansers with a strong persistent odor, as well as environmental contamination


• Physical activity (stress asthma)


• Weather; a sharp drop in temperature and / or air humidity; cold air


• Strong emotions, for example, anxiety, laughter or crying, stress


• Medical preparations, for example, aspirin.

Asthma attack

An asthma attack is a sudden worsening of asthma symptoms. During an asthma attack, the airways become severely narrowed, swollen or filled with mucus.

Common symptoms of Asthma include:

• Cough, especially at night, during sleep


• Whistling breathing (piercing wheezing during exhalation)


• Lack of breathing, shortness of breath


• Pressure, contraction or pain in the chest area

Not all people during an attack of asthma can have the same symptoms. It is not necessary that all the symptoms manifest immediately. In addition, each time the symptoms can be different, for example, once insignificant, while at the same time more serious.

Status of asthma (acute asthma attacks)

Prolonged acute asthma attacks, which are not treated with an inhaled bronchodilator (bronchodilator), require immediate treatment in the emergency department. Doctors call such serious asthma attacks requiring immediate medical intervention, "the status of an asthmatic."

Diagnosis and treatment of asthma

If you think that you have asthma, you need to see a specialist. The doctor will conduct a survey, prescribe tests and determine if you have asthma or not.

If the diagnosis is confirmed, there are now many different treatments that will make you feel good and reduce the discomfort caused by asthma symptoms.