Term:
Asthma
Description:
Asthma is a chronic condition characterized by inflammation of the lungs. When the lungs are inflamed, the airways become constricted and may fill with fluid, causing shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. Less severe inflammation can result in fatigue and difficulty concentrating. Asthma can be brought on by exercise, allergies, cold temperatures, infections, or stress. Asthma is not curable, but can be well-managed. It's important to minimize the inflammation of asthma since chronic inflammation weakens the lungs, making them prone to chronic lung disease.
Symptoms:
After exposure to asthma triggers, symptoms rarely develop abruptly but progress over a period of hours or days. In some cases, the airways have become seriously obstructed by the time the patient even calls the doctor. Asthma is usually worse at night and attacks often occur between 2 and 4 AM. This night time propensity is due to a number of reasons: chemical and temperature changes in the body during the night increase inflammation and narrowing of the airways; delayed allergic responses can occur from exposure to allergens during the day; and toward the early morning, the effect of inhaled medications may wear off and trigger an attack.
The classic symptoms of an asthma attack are coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath (dyspnea). Wheezing when breathing out is virtually always present during an attack. Usually the attack begins with wheezing and rapid breathing and, as it becomes more severe, all breathing muscles become visibly active. Irritation of the nose and throat, thirst, and the need to urinate are common symptoms and may occur before an asthma attack begins. Some people first experience chest tightness or pain or a nonproductive cough that is not associated with wheezing. Chest pain, in fact, occurs in about three quarters of patients; it can be very severe and its intensity is unrelated to the severity of the asthma attack itself. The neck muscles may tighten and talking may become difficult or impossible. The end of an attack is often marked by a cough that produces a thick, stringy mucus. After an initial acute attack, inflammation persists for days to weeks, often without symptoms. (The inflammation itself must still be treated, however, because it usually causes relapse.)
Asthma symptoms vary in severity from occasional mild bouts of breathlessness to daily wheezing that persists despite taking large doses of medication. Without effective treatment during an attack, exhaustion may worsen respiratory function, and in rare cases, a life-threatening situation can occur. As the chest labors to bring enough air into the lungs, breathing often becomes shallow. Lacking sufficient oxygen, the skin becomes bluish, the flesh around the ribs of the chest appears to be sucked in, and the patient may begin to lose consciousness.
Treatment:
Parents can greatly reduce the frequency and severity of asthmatic attacks by understanding the differing between coping and controlling the disease. According to one study, most parents do not discriminate between medications that provide rapid short term relief and long term symptom control. Drug treatments are now categorized by their ability to (1) control long-term persistent inflammation or (2) relieve acute asthma symptoms. The primary drugs used to control inflammation are corticosteroids, leukotriene-antagonists, and cromolyn. Generally, the drugs that relieve symptoms are bronchodilators, which open the airways during an asthma attack; they include short-acting beta-adrenergic agonists (beta2 agonists), theophylline, and certain anticholinergic agents. Long-acting beta2 agonists are not used for acute attacks but are proving to be effective for prevention. Asthma flare-ups are much more common in children who do not comply with the prescribed treatment. Unfortunately, on average, less than half of children adhere to their drug regimens, in one study, only 11% of inner city children with asthma adhere to daily drug regimens.
*You should always seek a professional physician's
advice before trying to administer any type of treatment.
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