It all started as a small cough. Shola waved it off, saying it was just the dusty weather and nothing serious. The next minute, he started wheezing. He tried to breathe in, but his lungs did not cooperate. Then his chest tightened, and he clutched his shirt, with his eyes wide in panic. It was asthma.
He tried to call for help, but my voice was hidden in his throat. Luckily, his neighbors saw him struggling. They told him to “calm down,” but his breathing only got worse, and his lips started turning blue. That was when they knew it wasn’t ordinary catarrh and cough.
Shola was having a full-blown asthma attack. And if he hadn’t rushed to the hospital, he might not have made it.
Asthma is not just an “ordinary cold”
It’s a condition that must be taken seriously. But there is good news: Asthma is manageable only if you know the symptoms, triggers, and right treatment options. That being said, let’s learn about Asthma in detail.
When a person has Asthma, their airways get swollen, narrow, and filled with mucus. Hence blocking the passage of air.
Asthma is termed a chronic condition because it does not go away completely and needs continuous use of medications and lifestyle changes to manage symptoms
It is the most common chronic disease in children and also affects adults.
Asthma is known for three major features;
- Airway obstruction or Blockage: Airway muscles contract instead of relaxing to enable airflow
2. Airway Inflammation: The lining of your airways becomes swollen and prevents proper airflow
3. Mucus production: More mucus is secreted by the body, which leads to airway irritation.
What are the symptoms to recognize?
-Wheezing
-Coughing
-Shortness of breath
-Chest tightness and pain
-Difficulty sleeping due to breathing issues
Everyone with Asthma does not have the same symptoms.
Some people may go a long time without symptoms.
Others may have symptoms every day, and these symptoms can fluctuate between mild and severe during different attacks.
What are the types of asthma?
–Intermittent Asthma: This type of asthma gives victims a chance to feel normal in between flares, as it comes and goes.
–Persistent Asthma: In this type of asthma, symptoms are experienced now and then, with very little periods of feeling good.
The symptoms between each attack present as mild, moderate, or severe
Based on the cause of asthma and the time of onset in a person’s life, asthma is further grouped into;
–Allergic Asthma: caused by allergens like pollen
–Non-allergic asthma; triggered by things like stress and other illnesses
–Occupational Asthma; Triggered by working with irritants
–Exercise-induced Asthma/ Bronchospasm, often triggered by exercise
–Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS): this is when a person has both Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Asthma
–Paediatric Asthma is the type of Asthma that starts in childhood and starts as early as below 5 years
–Adult-onset Asthma: This type of asthma starts after a person becomes an adult.
Who can have asthma?
-Anyone at any age
-People with a family history of Asthma
-People exposed to allergens
-People who smoke tobacco
-Secondhand and thirdhand smokers
Some triggers to avoid
-Car exhaust
-Factory emissions
-Dust mites
-mold
-cockroaches and mice
-pet danders
-Exercise
-Strong smells and chemicals
-Tobacco smoke
-Dust from flour and wood in industrial or commercial vicinity
-pollen from clothes
Treatment options for asthma
-Use of bronchodilators in the form of inhalers and pills
-Use of Anti-inflammatory medications
-Biologic therapy for Asthma management
If your asthma is controlled;
-You sleep well at night without interruption by symptoms
-You rarely use your inhalers
-You can comfortably go about your activities without symptoms
-You have little symptoms or none at all
While achieving control is a good thing for you, it does not call for carelessness and negligence.
Please always keep your rescue device and your medications, too.
Sometimes, the symptoms of Asthma may be so severe that inhalers may not help.
Such a person may be suffering an Asthma Attack and need emergency treatment.
Here are some symptoms of an Asthma Attack;
-Very rapid breathing
-Difficulty talking
-Persistent coughing
-Retraction; tightened neck and chest muscles
-Pale and sweaty face
-Anxiety and feelings of panic
-Increased chest pain and pressure
-Blue fingernails and lips
Why worse at night?
-Poorly controlled daytime symptoms
-Sleeping position: sleep on your back but raise your head and shoulders properly with a pillow
-Natural change in Lung function as sleep progresses
-Allergens on your bedsheet and pillowcase
-The temperature of the air in your room
Prevention of attacks
-Kindly avoid triggers
-Eliminate them once you encounter them if you can
-Always have your inhaler
-If possible, don’t indulge in long-term isolated activities; try to be around other people, especially if your asthma is persistent type.
By Pharm.Unique @celebriotypharm
