THE asthma, also known as asthmatic bronchitis or allergic bronchitis, it is a chronic disease that affects the airways lower. In this disease, there is a reversible obstruction of the airways, which causes shortness of breath and respiratory noises known as wheezing. Asthma has a high mortality when the patient is not adequately treated.
Asthma treatment consists of a control medication and a relief medication. The proper use of control medication can lead the patient to have a normal life, with few crises and, consequently, less use of relief medication.
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What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the lower airways. The inflammatory process in the disease is complex, involving several cells and mediators. As a result of the inflammation, a bronchial hyperresponsiveness, that is, an increase in the sensitivity of the lower airways, which have an exaggerated capacity to react to certain substances.
In addition, the airways constrict easily, causing airflow to be compromised. Generally speaking, airway narrowing is reversible spontaneously or with the use of medication. It is worth noting, however, that, in some people, airflow impairment may be irreversible.
Asthma is a result of the interaction between environmental and genetic factors. According to the Ministry of Health, some of the triggering factors are: dust, mold, pollen, animal hair, infections viral, smoke, strong smells, some medications, gastroesophageal reflux, emotional aspects, physical effort, exposure to cold, among others.
Asthma Symptoms
In asthma, the airways constrict in response to different agents, causing symptoms such as chronic cough, wheezing (breathing noises that resemble a whistle and are popularly known as wheezing) dyspnea (shortness of breathe) and chest tightness with difficulty breathing.
Symptoms can appear alone or in combination. It is noteworthy that asthma symptoms can occur or worsen in the morning upon waking up, at night, during the performance of exercise, with exposure to certain substances, crying and intense laughter, in stressful situations and with changes in time.
Asthma diagnosis
Asthma diagnosis is based on analysis of the patient's symptoms, and, whenever possible, complementing it with the measurement of lung function and the assessment of allergy, important to identify which agents are related to asthma.
Asthma treatment
Asthma treatment is not aimed at curing the disease, but at controlling it and improving the patient's quality of life. Among the measures that ensure disease control, we can mention: environmental hygiene where the individual lives (since crises can be triggered by factors such as dust and mites), use of allergy vaccines, and proper use of the indicated medication by the doctor.
Asthma treatment medication can be divided into two groups: control medication and relief medication. Control medications aim to prevent asthma attacks, while relief medications serve to alleviate symptoms when the condition worsens.
It is considered that the asthma is under control when the patient does not have symptoms every day, performs their daily activities without any limitations, does not use relief medications, does not present symptoms when waking up or at night, has normal lung function or close to normal levels, and has no episodes of increased signs and symptoms (exacerbation of asthma).
What is an asthma pump?
It is very common for people who have asthma to use the famous inhalers. In reality, the firecracker is a device used to release medications that must be aspirated by the patient. The pump ensures that an adequate amount of the drug is released and that it reaches the lungs.
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Tips for preventing asthma attacks
As we've seen throughout the text, asthma is a chronic disease, and certain triggers are responsible for triggering crises. These triggers include, for example, dust and smoke. Crises are very uncomfortable for the patient, and therefore, it is important to take some precautions so that they do not occur. Here are some tips to prevent asthma attacks:
- Discover the triggers responsible for your asthma attacks and avoid them.
- Keep the house always clean, avoiding dust accumulation, for example.
- Avoid placing objects in your home that facilitate the accumulation of dust, such as curtains, carpets and pillows.
- When cleaning the house, avoid brooms and dusters, giving preference to the use of a vacuum cleaner. Brooms and dusters can spread dust into the air and cause a flare-up.
- Change bed linen frequently.
- Ensure that the environment is always airy.
By Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos
Biology teacher