Asthma, or bronchial asthma, is a long-term lung disease that affects your airways, inflaming and narrowing them down to the point where the person has severe issues with breathing. In some cases, asthma can cause issues with talking or performing daily activities.
As asthma is a chronic disease i.e., it is there to stay, different treatment options are available for people suffering from this condition, and it is mandatory to have continuous medical monitoring. When it is not treated, asthma can have lethal consequences.
As mentioned, inflammation occurs in your body, in the bronchial tubes, to be more precise, and there is an excess of secretion within the tubes, which causes breathing issues. If you are looking for quick signs that you might have asthma, pay attention to the airway blockages where the muscles are tight and do not let the air pass regularly, to inflammation which causes the bronchial tubes to be red and swollen and to airway irritability meaning that your throat is highly sensitive to different triggers.
If you notice any of these signs, make sure you schedule a consultation at a specialized center such as the Allergy and Immunology Center. There are various options when it comes to asthma treatment in Miami, but it is essential to explore all the options before choosing the best one for your specific needs.
What Causes Asthma and What Are Asthma Symptoms?
Although, in general, experts know very little about the exact causes of asthma, some factors can influence the development of the condition. Below are some of the most common triggers of asthma:
- Allergies and asthma: Suffering from different types of allergies can heighten your risk of developing the condition
- Environment: Exposure to different substances such as allergens, fumes, smoke, or toxins can make your respiratory system more irritable
- Infections of the respiratory system: Some infections can significantly impact the development of the lungs in children and damage the respiratory system in adults (sinusitis, the flu, etc.)
- Genetics: If the family history includes allergies and asthma, there is a certain percentage of possibility that you will also suffer from this condition
- Air pollution
- Strong odors and tobacco smoke
- Constant weather changes
- Anxiety, stress, and other strong emotions
- Certain medication
- Exercising
- Sulfites from foods such as pickles, beer, wine, lemon juices, shrimp, and alike
- Pets
There are also certain asthma risk factors such as gender (men are more likely to have asthma than women), race, different experiences while growing up, work environment, lung infections, obesity, etc.
When it comes to asthma symptoms, there are a few which are worth mentioning:
- Coughing, more severely during the night
- Making a whistling sound while breathing called wheezing
- Short breath
- Pain and pressure in the chest
- Tightness in the chest
- Issues with sleep due to breathing issues
Different persons experience asthma differently, and the symptoms might vary from mild to severe. Some people only feel the effects of asthma sometimes, while others face daily issues due to this condition.
Asthma Attack or Asthma Exacerbation
When people who do not have asthma breathe, their muscles, which are located around the airways, are relaxed, and they let the air move freely and quietly. When you experience an asthma exacerbation, or an attack, one of the following occurs:
- Inflammation where the airways become swollen and they cannot let the air pass to the lungs and out of them
- Bronchospasm, where the muscles tighten and narrowed down the airways so the air cannot flow freely
- Mucus production due to which the airways got clogged and again could not let the airflow through the respiratory system
Other than the above mentioned, some additional signs of an asthma exacerbation are:
- Continuous coughing
- Serious wheezing
- Pain and pressure in the chest
- Fast breathing
- Anxiety and panic
- Trouble with walking and talking
- Blue lips
- Sweat on the face
These attacks can worsen very quickly, so it is vital to have asthma medicine always on hand in case something like this occurs. Most people use either an asthma inhaler or a bronchodilator in these situations, and if none work, then it is time to go to the hospital and ask for urgent care. If your lips start getting blue, that means that there is not enough oxygen in your blood, which can lead to severe consequences, including death.
Every medical professional who takes care of your condition, aside from asthma medicine, must provide you with clear instructions on what to do when an asthma attack occurs. This can, and most probably will save your life.
Types of Asthma
Many different types of asthma have been researched and classified, but most doctors and experts actually classify asthma by its cause, symptoms, and severity.
Here are the different types:
- Mild intermittent asthma where the symptoms are mild and occur less than two times per week with very few asthma attacks.
- Mild persistent asthma where the symptoms occur three to six times per week, and there are more frequent night symptoms with more severe asthma attacks.
- Moderate persistent asthma brings symptoms daily, while the night symptoms occur more than five times per month.
- Severe persistent asthma is characterized by the occurrence of symptoms every day but also every night. This type of asthma puts limitations on the person’s daily activities.
- Allergic asthma is a type of asthma that is caused by allergens such as molds, pollen, dander, dust, and the alike.
- Adult-onset type of asthma can occur at any age, but it is most common when you are under 40.
- Pediatric asthma or childhood asthma is typical for children under the age of five, but children can outgrow this condition.
- Status asthmaticus is a type of asthma that is characterized by long-lasting asthma attacks, and they usually demand urgent medical care.
- Exercise-induced type is caused by a physical activity because the air you breathe is drier than the air in your body, and the airway narrows.
- Occupational asthma is closely related to jobs people have, which include irritable substances such as fumes, dust, etc.
- Nocturnal asthma is characterized by the fact that the symptoms worsen at nighttime.
- Eosinophilic asthma is a type of asthma where the white blood cell levels are very high, and it can develop in adults aged 35 to 50.
- Aspirin-caused asthma means that you can experience symptoms of this condition after taking aspirin.
- When you experience a long-term cough, that means you might have cough-variant asthma.
Diagnosis
There are different ways to diagnose asthma, but the most common ones include monitoring your symptoms, a spirometry test which measures the airflow through the lungs, a chest X-ray, blood tests, skin tests, and peak flow to measure the ability of the lungs to push air out, CT, allergy tests, methacholine challenge test, exhaled nitric oxide test or a sputum eosinophils test. After all the necessary tests, the doctor will diagnose the condition and determine the appropriate treatment options.
Treatment
There are different options for asthma treatment, and your chosen doctor must prescribe the proper medications to influence the symptoms. Here are some options:
- Bronchodilator
- Anti-inflammation medicine
- Biologic therapies
- Inhaled corticosteroids
- Oral or intravenous corticosteroids
- Leukotriene modifiers
- Long-acting beta-agonists
- Combination inhalers
- Theophylline
- Short-acting beta agonists
- Anticholinergics
- Avoiding asthma triggers
- Regular exercise
- Avoid gaining weight
- Breathing exercises
- Yoga, meditation, supplementation
Call Us!
Battling asthma is not a simple task, especially if you do not have proper medical care. In our center, we invest immense efforts to answer all the needs our patients have, so feel free to contact us and ensure that your asthma is under control at all times.