Asthma : Complete Explanation About The Sign,Symptom, Cause, Treatment

Asthma is a respiratory condition marked by spasms in the bronchi of the lungs, causing difficulty in breathing.Symptoms of asthma are usually worse at night and in the early morning or in response to excercise or cold air.Different individuals react to various factors in different ways.

The symptoms of asthma

• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Chest tightness
• Shortness of breath

The symptoms of severe asthma attack :

• Extreme shortness of breath.
• Chest tightness.
• A rapid pulse.
• Sweating.
• A bluish discoloration of the lips and fingernails.
• Flared nostrils and pursed lips.

Signs during an asthma attack

• The use of accessory muscle of respiration (sternocleidomastoid and scalene muscles of the neck).
• A paradoxical pulse is a pulse that is weaker during inhalation and stronger during exhalation.
• Over-inflation of the chest.
• A blue color of the skin and nails may occur from lack of oxygen.

Asthma is clinically classified according to the frequency of symptoms

• Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1).
• Peak expiratory flow rate.

Asthma may be classified as atopic (extrinsic) or non-atopic (intrinsic) where atopy refers to a prediposition toward developing type 1 hypersensitivity reactions.Asthma is the result of chronic inflammation of the conducting zone of the airways especially the bronchi and bronchioles, which subsequently results in increased contractability of the surrounding smooth muscles.

Figure A shows the location of the lungs and airways in the body.

Figure B shows a cross-section of a normal airway.

Figure C shows a cross-section of an airway during asthma symptoms.

The causes of Asthma

1. Family history or combination of genetic.
2. Environmental factors include allergens, air polution and chemicals.
3. Smoking.
4. Low air quality from factors such as traffic polution or high ozone levels.
5. Exposure to indoor volatile organic compounds like formaldehyde exposure.
6. Phthalates in certain types of PVC.
7. Common indoor allergens such as dust mites, mold, animal dander, cockroaches, and perfumes.
8. Certain viral respiratory infections including rhinovirus and respiratory syncytial virus.
9. Bacterial infections of the upper respiratory tract.
10. Psychological stress.

Asthma triggers :

1. At night

The symptoms of asthma can get worse at night because of some factors include :

• The body clock : the levels of the subtances against inflammation to be lower at night.
• Heartburn or Gerd : Stomach acid backing up into esophagus or sometimes into throat

2. During pregnancy
3.Taking medications : aspirin, cold medicines, and beta blockers that may cause the eyes drop.Talk to the doctor for taking medications.

Diagnosis of asthma based on

• The pattern of symptoms.
• Response to therapy over time including allergy testing, allergy shots, and flu shot.
• Spirometry is the single best test for asthma.It can not be used fo children under the age of six because they are too young for spirometry.It is a breathing test that the doctor may administer.

• Methacholine challenge involves the inhalation of increasing concentrations of a substance that causes airway narrowing in those predisposed.Negative means that a person does not have asthma and positive means that a person does not have specific for the disease.
• Peak Flow Meters are used to measure the peak expiratory flow rate, important in both monitoring and diagnosing asthma.Peak flow readings can determine what triggers may be making asthma symptoms worse, whether asthma action plan needs to be adjusted, and whether needing emergency treatment.

Treatment

• Bronchodilators are quick-relieve asthma medicines.They can relax the muscles around the airways of the lungs.Theophylline is a bronchodilator.It is used alone to treat mild persistent asthma and used in combination with inhaled corticosteroids to treat moderate or severe persistent asthma for taking everyday as directed from the doctor.It is taken by mouth rather than inhaled.
• Short-Acting Beta2-Agonists (SABA) act within minutes to relieve sudden asthma symptoms.An inhaler is the type of medication delivered by a device.When inhaling a dose, the medicine quickly relaxes the muscles surrounding the airways.Ask the doctor to use the inhaler correctly.
• Inhaled Corticosteroids treat the inflammation associated with asthma and are very similar to a chemical that the body naturally produces to combat inflammation.
• Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists work by blocking the action of the leukotrienes, which are chemicals that can increase inflammation in the airways of the lungs.They are available in the form of pills or tablets.They belong to long-term control medicines.Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists treat mild persistent asthma.
• Immunoglobulin E or lgE is an antibody in the immune system.lgE inhibitors prevent asthma symptoms before they occur.They are given by injection one or twice a month to people whose moderate severe persistent allergic asthma is not controlled with inhaled corticosteroids.

Many asthma medications must be taken with a device to deliver the medications directly into the lungs.

Several types of Asthma devices :

• Dry-Powder Inhalers (DPIs) deliver medication in the form of a fine powder directly into the lungs.
• Metered-Dose Inhalers (MDIs) use a propellant called HFA to deliver medication into the lungs.

• Spacers and valved holding chambers or VHCs are to inhale medication into the lower airways-where it is supposed to go-instead of into the throat.
• Nebulizers deliver a fine mist of medication and treat asthma attack.They are used by people who have trouble using an inhaler, including young children and very sick people.

Prevention

• Early pet exposure.
• Immunization.
• Limiting smoke exposure in utero, after delivery, and breastfeeding.
• Dietary restrictions during pregnancy.
• Smoking bans.
• Reducing or eliminating compounds known to sensitive people from the work place.