May 14 2012.
views 1133
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition characterized by the presence of a hyper responsive airway with reversible air-flow limitation and inflamed bronchi which are edematous with mucus plugging and epithelial damage.
For some people asthma maybe a minor nuisance while for others it’s a major problem that interferes with daily activities. Once established asthma can’t be cured but it can be controlled! However in the initial stages asthma is reversible but if neglected it can spiral in to a chronic persistent state called ‘fixed asthma’. Therefore it’s important to be vigilant about what triggers-off your asthma and be compliant with the medication. Daily Mirror Life asked some questions regarding asthma from DR.K.K.W.PERERA and it is as follows:
What are the symptoms of asthma?
The symptoms can range from mild to severe and it can vary amongst individuals, some may even feel absolutely normal and have no trouble breathing between flare-ups.
The symptoms and signs include:
Episodic Shortness of breath/difficulty in breathing and chest tightness.
Persistent Bouts of Coughing and wheezing which usually worsen during the night.
Chronic irritation of the throat has also now been found to be an early symptom of asthma.
Sometimes when the attack gets severe the physical exhaustion caused from trying to catch a breath will make the person unable to talk and construct sentences.
Sudden onset of coughing and wheezing brought on by exposure to a known trigger(eg-particular allergens such as pollen, pet dander, cockroaches or Inhaling irritating perfumes and dust or, exercise, cold air, emotional outbreaks
What are the tests available to diagnose asthma?
Diagnosing asthma can be a difficult task because signs and symptoms are often similar to other disease conditions. In order to rule out other possible conditions lung function tests can be done and they are:
Using a Peak flow meter- this device measures how fast you can exhale (measure peak expiratory flow rate), lower than usual readings are a sign that you might be suffering from asthma.
Spirometry- this test measures the narrowing of the bronchial tubes by checking how much air you can exhale after a deep breath and how fast you can breathe out.
Lung function tests are done before and after taking a bronchodilator, and if the lung function improves with the use of a bronchodilator, it’s likely you have asthma.
How is asthma classified?
Asthma is classified into four general categories:
Mild intermittent-Mild symptoms up to two days a week and up to two nights a month.
Mild persistent-mild symptoms more than twice a week, but no more than once in a single day.
Moderate persistent-symptoms once a day and more than one night a week.
Severe persistent-symptoms throughout the day on most days and frequently at night.
Asthma severity often changes with time, requiring an adjustment in treatment.
What are the lifestyle changes to be made to cope with the disease better and the treatment available?
A key part of asthma control is to avoid/reduce exposure to known asthma triggers such as dust (house dust mite), pollen, animal dander, cockroaches, mold, cold air, polluted air etc. these are some of the things that may help in the process:
Keep indoors dust proof and clean by vacuum cleaning or regular wet mopping and if you’re likely to stir up dust wear a mask or get someone else to do the cleaning for you.
Put bed linen, pillow cases etc. out in to the sun to kill the dust mites.
Reduce pet dander either by avoiding pets with fur and feathers or having them regularly bathed and groomed.
If your asthma gets worse in dusty cold dry air then wear a face mask especially when heading outdoors.
Engage in chest expansion exercises such as swimming and rowing to improve the lung capacity.
Using an air conditioner will reduce the amount of airborne pollen that makes its way indoors, lowers indoor humidity and reduce exposure to dust mites.
Taking care of yourself by getting regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight will strengthen the heart and lungs, which help relieve asthma symptoms and help you cope with the disease better. Identifying an impending attack by decreasing peak flow measurements and acting quickly will make you have a less severe attack.
It’s very important to take medication as prescribed and to keep asthma under control. Preventive long term control medication reduce inflammation of the airways that lead to symptoms while quick relief inhalers quickly open up swollen airways that limit breathing.
The long term control medication needs to be taken every day in most cases because they reduce airway inflammation and hyper responsiveness and they include, inhaled corticosteroids(Beclomethasone, Budesonide, Fluticasone) in combination with long acting beta agonists(salmeterol, formoterol) many people are in great fear of using inhaler medication therefore it must be said that they come with minimal side effects and one must not be scared to use it.
The quick-relief medication is needed for rapid symptom relief during an acute attack by causing rapid bronchodilation and they include the short acting beta agonists(salbutamol& terbutaline), ipratropium bromide as well as aminophylline. It’s extremely important to take your medication as directed, do not assume that you can decrease the dosage or stop taking medication simply because you don’t have symptoms.
By Samurddhi Tillekeratne
0 Comments
Sumith says:
Jun 08, 2012 at 05:20 amWe have found a successful new ayurveda medicene for asthma. 100% herbal preparation. for more Please see my Web :-www.asthma-rajapura.com or Contact 0773131070