Contents:
- Medical Video: Asthma Symptoms & Treatments : Differences Between Asthma & Bronchiolitis in Children
- What is bronchial asthma?
- The most common signs and symptoms of bronchial asthma
- 1. Cough hard
- 2. Wheezing sound
- 3. Difficulty breathing
- 4. Chest tightness
- Recognize the severity of bronchial asthma
- 1. Intermittent asthma
- 2. Mild persistent asthma
- 3. Moderate persistent asthma
- 4. Severe persistent asthma
- Be aware of various causes of bronchial asthma
- Who is at high risk for disease asthma bronchial?
- How do you treat bronchial asthma?
- 1. Design treatment with a doctor
- 2. Using a spirometer
- 3. Short-term drugs
- 4. Long-term medication
- 5. Nebulizer
- Various ways to prevent bronchial asthma attacks
- 1. Prevent triggers and allergic substances
- 2. Using an air filter system
- 3. Immunotherapy
- 4. Using preventive treatment
- 5. Use air humidifier
- 6. Check lung function
Medical Video: Asthma Symptoms & Treatments : Differences Between Asthma & Bronchiolitis in Children
Of the many types of asthma that exist, you may still be a little stranger to hearing bronchial asthma. In fact, bronchial asthma is a fairly common type of asthma. According to WHO data, more than 235 million people in the world have bronchial asthma. Indonesia ranked 20th as the country with the most cases of death from bronchial asthma. This type of asthma cannot be cured and symptoms can appear at any time unexpectedly. Even so, this asthma can be controlled in the right way so as not to recur easily. Read more about bronchial asthma in this article.
What is bronchial asthma?
Bronchial asthma is another name for general asthma caused by inflammation in the airways (bronchi). This inflammation then causes the bronchi to become swollen and narrow, and produce excess mucus.
Excessive production of pulmonary mucus in response to inflammation will clog the airways, making it difficult for you to breathe.
The most common signs and symptoms of bronchial asthma
Asthma attacks occur when the airways are inflamed and blocked.
Bronchial asthma symptoms are very diverse. One person and another can experience different symptoms of bronchial asthma, including the severity, duration of the attack, and frequency. You may experience an asthma attack after a long period of no relapse, and then suddenly experience a period of asthma attacks. Other people may experience asthma symptoms every day, but only at night or only after doing activities for example.
Some typical characteristics and symptoms of bronchial asthma are:
1. Cough hard
A hard cough is the most common symptom of bronchial asthma. The cough can be a dry or phlegm (slimy) cough. Asthma cough tends to worsen at night or after activity.
If you continue to experience a dry cough that lasts a long time, with / without accompanying symptoms of asthma, this might indicate that you have a type of asthma cough.
2. Wheezing sound
Wheezing is one of the many symptoms of asthma that can be recognized. Wheezing is a breath that sounds soft like a whistle, or sounds "whining" every time you exhale. This sound arises because air from inside the lung is forced out through a narrow and blocked airway.
Even so it does not mean that people who experience wheezing must have asthma. Because, wheezing can also be a symptom of other diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and pneumonia (lung infection).
3. Difficulty breathing
Asthma makes it difficult for you to breathe freely or often feel out of breath. You may also feel frequent distress or take a deep breath. This is because your airways (bronchi) are narrowed and blocked by pulmonary mucus.
4. Chest tightness
Asthma symptoms that are also common are tight chest sensations such as those that tightly tie the rope around your chest.
This sensation arises from the airway muscles that swell due to inflammation and then cover the airway tunnel. So, you will also feel a feeling of stiffness or tension in the chest area. This condition makes it difficult for you to breathe freely.
In severe cases, bronchial asthma symptoms include:
- Difficulties in talking, eating and sleeping due to shortness of breath.
- Lips and tips of the toes and hands look blue.
- Heart palpitations.
- Looks weak and lethargic.
- Dizziness that never goes away.
- The typical symptoms of asthma are getting worse and often.
- The inhaler is not able to relieve symptoms.
If you have one or several asthma symptoms as mentioned above, immediately seek medical help to get further treatment.
Recognize the severity of bronchial asthma
Asthma symptoms recur and can appear suddenly. Asthma recurrence is actually related to the severity of asthma that each person has. Then it is important to know the severity of asthma that you experience. That way, you can control gejalanua before already relapsed.
To find out how severe your asthma is, answer the following questions. The answer must be adjusted to the condition of your body.
- How many days a week, do you feel your chest feel tight, coughing, difficulty breathing, and shortness of breath?
- Do you often wake up at night due to experiencing asthma symptoms? How often do you wake up in one week?
- How often in one week, do you use an inhaler as a medicine to treat your asthma?
- Does your asthma cause your activity to be interrupted?
After answering these questions you can find out how severe your asthma is, by looking at the following asthma groups.
1. Intermittent asthma
The characteristics of intermittent asthma are:
- Symptoms: 2 days or less in one week.
- Waking up in the middle of the night: 2 times or less in one month.
- Using an inhaler: 2 times or less per week.
- Do not experience interference when on the move.
Usually if you have this type of asthma, then you will not be given asthma control drugs. It's just that you need to avoid various things that can make this asthma appear.
2. Mild persistent asthma
Mild persistent asthma characteristics such as:
- Symptoms: symptoms appear more than 2 days a week.
- Waking up in the middle of the night: 3-4 times in one month.
- Using an inhaler: more than 2 times per week.
- Activity is a little disturbed.
If you experience this type of asthma, the doctor will only give anti-inflammatory drugs to treat your asthma.
3. Moderate persistent asthma
Moderate persistent asthma has characteristics such as:
- Symptoms: symptoms appear almost every day.
- Waking up in the middle of the night: more than 2 times a week.
- Using an inhaler: almost every day.
- Disturbed activity
People who have moderate persistent asthma will be given drugs to control their asthma. In addition, patients with this type of asthma will be encouraged to take bronchodilator therapy. Bronchodilators are therapies that consist of various drugs to relieve and facilitate breathing.
4. Severe persistent asthma
Severe persistent asthma has characteristics such as:
- Symptoms: symptoms appear every day, even almost all day.
- Waking up in the middle of the night: every night.
- Using an inhaler: several times a day.
- Very disturbed activity.
Asthma control drugs that are given to severe persistent asthma are not just one type. the doctor will provide several combinations of high-dose corticosteroid inhalers.
Be aware of various causes of bronchial asthma
Experts do not know the exact cause of asthma. However, asthma attacks generally occur when a person is exposed to an "asthma trigger". Various asthma triggers may include:
- Active smokers and passive smokers.
- Upper respiratory tract infections (such as colds, flu, or pneumonia).
- Allergens such as food, pollen, mold, dust mites, and pet fur.
- Sports.
- Exposure to substances in the air (such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or poisons).
- Weather factors (such as cold, windy and hot weather supported by poor air quality and drastic temperature changes).
- Take certain drugs (such as aspirin, NSAIDs, and beta-blockers).
- Foods or drinks that contain preservatives (such as MSG).
- Having stress and severe anxiety.
- Singing, laughing, or crying too much.
- Perfumes and fragrances.
- Have a history of gastric acid reflux (GERD).
Who is at high risk for disease asthma bronchial?
This disease can affect anyone, even adults in their 30s or 40s. Indeed, most cases of asthma are known since a person is a baby or a child. However, approximately 25 percent of people with asthma have experienced an attack for the first time in adulthood.
According to WHO, asthma is the most common disease experienced by children because:
- Parents have a history of asthma.
- Have respiratory infections, such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and so on.
- Have certain atopic allergies, such as food allergies or eczema.
- Low birth weight.
- Premature birth.
Among children, boys are more at risk of developing asthma than girls. However, among adults, women are more often affected by this disease than men. It is not clear how sex and sex hormones play a role in causing asthma.
How do you treat bronchial asthma?
Asthma cannot be cured. Existing treatments are intended only to reduce symptoms and prevent recurrence of asthma attacks. Here are some ways you can treat bronchial asthma:
1. Design treatment with a doctor
Asthma treatment is not only unilaterally decided by a doctor. You as a patient also have to participate in designing treatment. This is done to get effective and maximum treatment results. A treatment plan can also help you to know when asthma symptoms usually worsen and how to deal with them.
2. Using a spirometer
If your asthma is triggered due to severe allergies, your doctor may refer you to an allergist or lung specialist. Assessment of lung function may include the use of a device called a spirometer. Spirometer is a measuring instrument for lung health to measure the air capacity of a person's lungs.
3. Short-term drugs
Narrowing of the airways in asthma can be relieved by giving bronchodilator medication. This drug is useful for relaxing the muscles around the airways so they can open and expand them.
Bronchodilators are intended for short-term use. If you experience an asthma attack, by coughing and / or sighing, you can use bronchodilator medication. By opening the narrowed airways, bronchodilator drugs can relieve tightness in the chest and reduce wheezing and feeling unable to breathe. Usually this drug is prescribed based on needs.
Short-acting inhalation of beta2-agonists (albuterol, pirbuterol, levalbuterol or bitolterol) is the type of bronchodilator for rapid reactions. Other drugs are ipratropium (anticholinergic), prednisone, prednisolone (oral steroids). You should use a bronchodilator when new asthma symptoms begin to appear.
If you use this drug more than 2 days a week, talk to your doctor about other treatment plans. You may need to make changes to the treatment plan that suits your condition.
4. Long-term medication
Most people who suffer from asthma should take long-term control medication every day to help prevent symptoms. Long-term medicines effectively reduce airway inflammation, and help prevent symptoms. These drugs include inhaled corticosteroids, cromolyn, Omalizumab (anti-IgE).
If you have severe asthma, you may need to use corticosteroid or liquid pills for the short term to keep your asthma under control.
In infants and young children, inhaled corticosteroids may be given through nebulizer with a face mask or through suckers. Suckers need a plastic hose (spacer) or a chamber that stores volume, so that the drug can reach just in the small area of the lungs. Without spacermost drugs will return to the throat and be swallowed. After using steroid suction, it is important for you to clean, spit, or brush your teeth.
In general, long-term control drugs are for someone who has:
- Asthma attacks more than twice a week
- Often wake up because of an asthma attack more than twice a month
- Requires more than two sets of oral steroid medications in a year
- Have been hospitalized for asthma symptoms
5. Nebulizer
Another way to enter drugs is with nebulizer. The Nebulizer consists of a compressor (breathing machine) that is connected to a tube to a small glass-like device to the place of medicine.
The compressor converts the liquid into steam which is then inhaled. In young children, masks are used and must be placed on the face with a good seal. If it does not have a good seal, most drugs evaporate and do not reach the lungs. As a result, the drug cannot work optimally.
Various ways to prevent bronchial asthma attacks
There are some tips and advice given to avoid attacks of bronchial asthma, including:
1. Prevent triggers and allergic substances
There are many triggers or causes of asthma. The reaction to asthma triggers is different for each person and can vary from time to time. Certain causes of asthma may not be harmful to some people. But for some others, this can worsen existing asthma symptoms.
Recognizing and avoiding various causes of specific asthma, if possible, is the main key to preventing an asthma attack.
2. Using an air filter system
The air filter functions to filter out particles contained in the air stream, including triggers of asthma attacks such as fungi, pollen, mites, and other allergens.
The best system will use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter. According to the asthma and allergic foundation in America, aka AAFA, filters can clean the air from pollutants up to 99.9 percent. Air filters are recommended for controlling asthma-triggering substances. But asthmatics cannot depend on air filters alone to control their symptoms.
3. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy in allergic problems, functions to increase or suppress the immune system. The aim of immunotherapy is to reduce sensitivity to allergens over time. For the first few months, injection will be given usually once a week. Sometimes, it can only be given once a month. This can last for several years until the immune system becomes sensitive.
If you cannot avoid the triggers of asthma, consult your doctor about whether immunotherapy can be one of your choices.
4. Using preventive treatment
Using asthma treatment is a two-step approach. First, you might use a treatment that you normally do to prevent attacks. But, in addition, acting immediately when the first symptoms appear is the key to preventing the attack.
Some can use an inhaler, some use oral methods, and some from injection. Here are general treatments taken by asthmatics.
- Suction corticosteroids (inhalers) to prevent inflammation. Corticosteroid inhalers are the most effective treatment for asthma, but the risk of long-term effects makes it not recommended for daily use.
- Leukotriene modifiers.This treatment works by fighting leukotrienes. Leukotrienes are substances that are released by white blood cells in the lungs which cause air flow to be blocked. This drug is usually aimed at asthma conditions caused by aspirin / asthma due to sports / severe persistent asthma.
- Long Acting Beta agonist. This treatment is used to prevent attacks of triggers present in activities and sports. This treatment is bronchodilators, and works by calming the respiratory tract, making breathing more relieved. Usually used if the inhaler cannot control asthma symptoms. This drug is not effective if used as monotherapy, but must be combined with an inhaler.
5. Use air humidifier
This tool can increase the humidity level in the air with moisture. If clean and well cared for, moisturizers can help reduce and relieve symptoms of asthma for sufferers.
6. Check lung function
It is important to monitor how well your asthma treatment works by checking lung function regularly. You can usepeak flow meter to measure the amount of air flowing from the lungs. This personal examination can reveal the narrowing of the respiratory tract before asthma symptoms appear.
