Asthma is a serious disease that affects the respiratory tract. Mucous membranes become inflamed, which causes swelling and the formation of a large amount of viscous fluid. All these wrong processes do not allow people to breathe freely. The patient begins a strong and unproductive cough, this condition leads to suffocation. Despite the development of medicine, the disease affects more and more people. This is due to the rapid deterioration of the environment. Asthma symptoms in adults, how it starts, and what methods of treatment are applied, this will be discussed in the article.
- Asthma - what is it?
- Causes of bronchial asthma
- How does asthma begin?
- The first symptoms of asthma
- First aid for an asthmatic attack
- Treatment of asthma
Symptoms and treatment of cardiac asthma Symptoms and Treatment of Aspirin Asthma What complications of bronchial asthma in adults and children Attack of bronchial asthma - emergency help Atopic bronchial asthma - symptoms and treatment
Asthma - what is it?
Bronchial asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory system. During the disease, the internal walls of the bronchial tree become inflamed. This process leads to swelling and redness, a lot of thick mucus begins to be released, which makes breathing difficult. The person begins to cough, but this only aggravates the situation, as it leads to a gradual suffocation and strong wheezing.
Physicians recognize several types of asthma: mild, moderate and severe. In any case, the patient needs treatment. There are several types of the disease, they all differ in their severity, the way they are treated and the organs that were affected:
- aspirin;
- bronchial;
- heart;
- allergic.
Under the influence of negative factors, the disease worsens, so a person needs urgent help. During the remission, the patient feels well enough, but he needs to take medications.
Causes of bronchial asthma
According to international studies, more than 150 million. people suffer from asthma. Severe ailment affects a person at any age and regardless of sex. There are a lot of reasons for the disease, among the main doctors are:
- genetic predisposition;
- harmful industrial impact;
- chronic bronchitis and infectious diseases affecting the respiratory tract;
- deterioration of the ecological environment;
- active and passive smoking;
- room dust, heavy physical exercises;
- pollen of plants, cold air;
- animal hair;
- medicines based on aspirin or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
It is obvious that there are a lot of causes of asthma. Some of them can be avoided, but others are inevitable and they adversely affect human health. At the first manifestations of asthma, it is necessary to begin medical treatment. Timely therapy will eliminate the signs of the disease, which will protect the future generation.
How does asthma begin?
An asthma attack always begins in advance, in about 30 minutes. During this time, the general condition of a person worsens, he realizes that serious changes are taking place in his body. At these moments it is important not to panic, but to take medications that will stop the development of an attack.
An asthmatic attack begins with a skin itch, which only grows with time. There is a runny nose and a feeling of tightness in the chest area. At this moment the patient feels anxiety and fear, he has difficulty breathing and pain in his chest. Cough begins, which is accompanied by wheezing and whistling. The veins on the neck swell and increase in size. It is hard for a person to inhale and exhale air, which leads to suffocation.
The attack always begins suddenly. The patient's condition lasts long enough, from 30 minutes to several hours. At this time, it is important not to leave a person alone and provide him with emergency medical care.
The first symptoms of asthma
In all people, asthma flows in different ways, as each organism is individual. However, the signs of the disease are the same for all. Among the characteristic symptoms specialists identify:
- strong, unproductive cough;
- during inspiration, the skin under the ribs begins to retract;
- the skin starts to turn pale, and bluish spots appear under the eyes;
- a person can not breathe freely;
- shortness of breath, which is worse at night;
- during exhalation, wheezing and whistling are heard;
- choking, general weakness and malaise;
- tachycardia;
- pathological changes in the nail plate;
- dizziness and headache.
Asthma is an insidious disease, which at the initial stage is easily confused with bronchitis. At the first sign of ailment it is important to consult a doctor. The specialist will assign a series of examinations that will help to establish the diagnosis, and make an appointment.
First aid for an asthmatic attack
If a person feels approaching an attack, then he should use an inhaler that will prevent further deterioration. Initially, you need to make two inhalations. If after 10 minutes the condition of asthmatics does not improve, the procedure should be repeated.
If the attack happened for the first time, what to do in this case. It is important to act cohesively and not get lost. The following emergency rules must be followed:
- Open the window so that there is a flow of fresh air;
- to release the neck from clothes;
- it is important to seat the person so that he can rest his hands on a hard surface and spread his elbows to the sides;
- you need to try to calm the patient, so the muscles relax a little, and it will be easier to breathe;
- breathe in better with your nose, and breathe out with your mouth;
- give a man a pill of an antiallergic drug (Eden, Suprastin, Dimedrol, Claritin);
- make a warm foot bath;
- massage hands;
- to call an ambulance.
Upon the arrival of the physicians it is important to report that the asthmatic was taken, and what actions were taken. All this will protect the patient from an overdose, which will improve his overall condition.
Treatment of asthma
Asthma requires mandatory medical treatment, which will improve health. Typically, doctors prescribe one treatment regimen, including a variety of drugs. The doctor for each patient individually selects a dosage. It is important to strictly adhere to it, since all drugs have many contraindications and side effects.
To treat asthma and prevent an attack, it is recommended to use inhalers. All of them differ in their composition, which has a certain effect on the body. Depending on the degree and qualification of the disease, select the appropriate inhaler. There are such adaptations:
- kromony (Tileed, Intal), is prescribed for mild asthma;
- glucocorticosteroids (Beklazone, Fliksotid, Bekotid) are effective for asthmatic attacks of varying severity;
- Cholinolytics (Spiriva, Atrovent) are used to quickly suppress severe symptoms;
- combined preparations (Symbicort, Berodual, Seretid);
- b2-adrenomimetics (Berotek, Serevent, Salbutamol, Ventolin).
Inhalers help to remove attacks of suffocation, so treatment is always supplemented with medications. They are aimed at restoring the respiratory system. Usually, doctors recommend such medications:
- glucocorticosteroids in tablets (Acolat), the drug is prescribed for mild to moderate asthma. However, it is not effective during an attack;
- leukotriene antagonists (Singular), qualitatively restores health in severe form of the disease;
- monoclonal antibodies (Xolar), administered intramuscularly, with severe allergic form;
- xanthines (Euphilin, Theophylline, Teotec) allow air to freely penetrate into the respiratory tract.
Everyone needs to make an effort to prevent asthma from developing. To do this, you need to play sports, walk more outdoors, eat properly, exclude allergens, and avoid infectious respiratory diseases. Be healthy!