5/7/2019 0 Comments ASTHMA AWARENESS MONTHMay is Asthma Awareness Month. Asthma is a major non-communicable disease that affects both children and adults. It is the most common chronic disease amongst children. It affects approximately 300 million people worldwide and kills about 180,000 people per year. Furthermore, the number of asthma cases has been increasing with the decrease in air quality due to pollution. This burden is even greater in low and middle income countries where the effects of climate change are more greatly felt, and resources are already stretched thin. But what exactly is asthma? Here are your asthma questions, answered. ASTHMA: WHAT IS IT?Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Humans need oxygen to stay alive, and we get this oxygen by breathing in air through our noses. The air then goes through our airways (breathing tubes) and into the alveoli (air sacs) in the lungs. Our blood then absorbs the oxygen and transports it thoughout the body. In this process, waste gases such as carbon dioxide are removed from the body by the blood and taken back into the air sacs. We then breath out these waste gases through the airways and out through the nose. This is the gaseous exchange process. When you have a disease like asthma, this important process is interrupted and compromised. The illustration above shows how a normal bronchial tube looks like versus how the inflamed bronchial tube of someone with asthma looks like. In an asthmatic person, the airways (e.g. the bronchial tubes) are inflamed (swollen), constrictive (closing in on themselves), and produce more mucous. This makes breathing difficult. If you have asthma, your airways are always inflamed to some degree, but that inflammation becomes worse when your asthma symptoms are triggered. It was previously thought that asthma only involved the large airways but autopsy specimens recovered from individuals who died from asthma have shown that the disease involves the entire lung, from the large airways to the small airways and lung tissue. WHAT IS AN ASTHMA ATTACK?An asthma attack is a sudden worsening of asthma symptoms caused by the tightening of muscles around the airways. This tightening of muscles around the airways is called a bronchospasm. During an asthma attack, the lining of the airways also becomes more inflamed, and thicker and more mucous than normal is produced. Symptoms of an asthma attack include severe shortness of breath, chest tightness or pain, and coughing or wheezing. An asthma attack can be fatal. WHAT SHOULD I DO IF SOMEONE IS HAVING AN ASTHMA ATTACK?It is important to give first aid immediately you spot the signs of an asthma attack. Follow the instructions below:
WHY DO ASTHMATICS USE INHALERS?To manage their symptoms. The inhalers have the medicine in them which can be in form of mist or powder and it is inhaled to deliver it to the airways. WHY ARE INHALERS DIFFERENT COLOURS?Brands package their medication in the colours they want but you may notice a recurring colour scheme with asthma inhalers. This is because there are two types of inhalers: relievers and preventers. Relievers are usually blue or grey, and you only take them when you're having an attack (they act quickly to relieve symptoms). Preventers are usually brown or orange and you take them every day (they act in the long-term to prevent attacks). A preventer will not help you when you're having an asthma attack, and you don't need to take a reliever every day like you take a preventer. Thus, colour-coding plays an important role in asthma inhalers. However, some manufacturers don't follow this practice and they end up causing a lot of confusion. Furthermore, with new drugs and drug combinations comes new colours. Read more about colour-coding and asthma medication here. WHAT OTHER ASTHMA MEDICATIONS ARE THERE?Asthma medications are given depending on the kind and severity of symptoms. The following are some examples:
It is important to consult with your doctor first before taking any medications. For example, a medicine may not be right for you because you may be allergic to it, or because it would interfere with another condition/medication you have, or even because it may not be as effective for you. Consulting a doctor helps address these issues. CAN YOU OUTGROW ASTHMA?There are different types of asthma. These include: asthma that develops in adults (adult-onset asthma), asthma that develops due to allergies (allergic asthma), asthma that is not caused by allergies (non-allergic asthma), asthma caused by work hazards (occupational asthma), and asthma that comes only after exercise (exercise-induced asthma). Asthma is also genetic, ie children of asthmatic parents are more likely to be asthmatic than children of non-asthmatic parents. The different kinds of asthma are managed differently, and this is important to note because it affects whether or not a person can "outgrow" asthma. For example, if your asthma is caused/worsened by allergies, managing your asthma will also mean managing your allergies; which means staying away from potential allergens and using anti-allergy medications. Controlling your allergies can lead to an improvement of your asthma symptoms to the point where you "outgrow" it ("outgrowing" asthma doesn't mean that a person's asthma is cured, it just means that they've consistently been without asthma symptoms for a long period). Not everyone can/will "outgrow" their asthma. For example, asthma can be caused and exarcebated by pollution. To "outgrow" such asthma would mean moving away from the polluted environment, and this may mean anything from moving away from a neighbourhood to moving away from a country/continent. Because moving costs are prohibitive, most people never get this chance, which means that they'll be perpetually asthmatic. And while our environment plays a big role when it comes to managing asthma, genetics also factors in the equation. All that is to say that, just like any other illness, asthma affects different people differently. For some, asthma is just but a nuisance. For others, asthma has landed them squarely on disability; they cannot breathe without assistance and therefore find it difficult to walk, talk, eat, work, and even sleep. The best course of action is to curb environmental pollution, make workplaces safe, and ensure everyone has access to quality healthcare and treatment options. WHAT ARE ASTHMA TRIGGERS?Common asthma triggers include dust, pet dander, fungus spores, molds, pollen, cold air, strong odours and fragrances, exercise, chemical fumes, polluted air, stress, and infections. These trigger the airways to inflame, constrict, and produce more mucous in people with asthma. P. S. Be wary of air conditioning if you have asthma. Dust and other irritants trapped by aircon units can trigger asthma attacks. (Some aircon units are fitted with special filters that remove dust from the circulating air, but this is not always the case, especially in car aircon units.) WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I HAVE ASTHMA? If you have been diagnosed with asthma, make sure you stick to your treatment plan, follow your doctor's advice, and stay away from your triggers as much as possible. If you suspect you have asthma, seek medical attention immediately and discuss your symptoms with the doctor. You may be referred to a pulmonologist – a chest specialist – for testing, confirmation, and treatment. Do you have any more questions about asthma? Leave them down below and we'll answer them!
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