Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways. The airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways are inflamed (swollen). The inflammation makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating. When the airways react, they get narrower, and less air flows through to your lung tissue. This causes symptoms like wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), coughing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing, especially at night and in the early morning.
Asthma cannot be cured, but most people with asthma can control it so that they have few and infrequent symptoms and can live active lives. When your asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it is called an asthma episode or attack. During an asthma attack, muscles around the airways tighten up, making the airways narrower so less air flows through. Inflammation increases, and the airways become more swollen and even narrower. Cells in the airways may also make more mucus than usual. This extra mucus also narrows the airways. These changes make it harder to breathe.
Asthma usually begins in childhood, although onset in adulthood is not uncommon. About 20 million people in the United States have asthma. And more than 70 percent of people with asthma have allergies.
Asthma attacks are not all the same—some are worse than others. In a severe asthma attack, the airways can close so much that not enough oxygen gets to vital organs. This condition is a medical emergency. People can die from severe asthma attacks. So, if you have asthma, you should see your doctor regularly. You will need to learn what things cause your asthma symptoms and how to avoid them. Your doctor will also prescribe medicines to keep your asthma under control.
Asthma medications come in all sorts of forms — sprays, pills, powders, liquids and shots — and are sold under many brand names. New medications frequently come on the market. So, if you have been on the same medications for five or more years, particularly if you do not have good control (frequent symptoms, nighttime asthma), check with your doctor to see if another type of medication might be better for you.
Medications that are swallowed in pill or liquid form usually have systemic, or total body, side effects. Inhaled medications go primarily to the lungs, decreasing the overall side effects. Medications vary as to “onset of action,” or the amount of time it takes to feel the results. Another variable is when the peak, or maximal effect, occurs. If you are taking medication to prevent problems with nighttime asthma or with exercise-induced symptoms, you will want to coordinate the drug’s effects with the timing of these activities. Unwanted side effects and cost are two other important factors in choosing which medications would be best for you.
Once asthma has been diagnosed, many patients start on controller medicine, also called long-term preventative medication or maintenance medication. These medications are taken daily on an ongoing basis to calm the airways and control symptoms. The different types of medication in this category work by reducing inflammation, thereby opening the airways, and improving breathing ability.
Types of long-term control medications include inhaled corticosteroids cromolyn sodium and nedocromil sodium and long-acting beta-agonists (beta-adrenergic agonists).
Inhaled corticosteroids are used as daily controller medications in those with persistent asthma. They are a type of steroid medication that is related to cortisone, a hormone produced naturally by the adrenal glands. They block the chemicals in your body that cause inflammation and can take a week or more to start working fully. However, inhaled corticosteroids are not the same as anabolic steroids used illegally by some athletes. They are safe for long-term use since they are targeted directly at the lungs and do not affect the liver or cause sterility, as do the illegal anabolic steroids.
Immunotherapy appears to work best for allergies to pollen, mold, cat dander, insect stings, and dust mites. Potential side effects during treatment, according to the AAAAI, may include swelling at the site of the injection, and in rare instances, a more serious allergic reaction, resulting in asthma symptoms or an anaphylactic reaction. Asthma symptoms include cough, wheezing and shortness of breath. Symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction can include hives, sneezing, watery nasal discharge, itchy eyes, swelling in the throat, wheezing or a sensation of tightness in the chest, nausea, dizziness or other symptoms.
Anticholinergics relax muscles around the airways to reverse airway narrowing and stop spasms in the bronchial muscles. Inhaled anticholinergics are generally not used as a first-line reliever medication for most patients with asthma as they may take several hours to take effect. They use a different mechanism than short-acting beta-agonists to make it easier to breathe and are usually used as an adjunct to inhaled Beta2-agonists (also known as B2-agonists) in patients who have severe asthma episodes. There is now an anticholinergic and short-acting beta-agonists combination available.
B2-agonists are generally used on an as-needed basis during an asthma episode or prior to exercise for EIA. They are not intended for use every day, more than three times in any given day, or in excess of one canister per month. Excessive use indicates poor control and the need to add or increase long-term control medications. It could also mean that the inhaler isn’t being used properly and the patient is not getting the proper dosage. Possible side effects are shakiness, jitteriness or rapid heartbeat, which should wear off after several weeks as the body adjusts to the medicine.
Tags: adulthood, allergies asthma, asthma attack, asthma attacks, asthma episode, asthma symptoms, chest tightness, chronic disease, control asthma, liquids, lung tissue, lungs, medical emergency, muscles