What is asthma?
Asthma is a disease of the lungs where the airways become inflamed and narrowed. The muscles in the walls of the airways may go into spasm, narrowing the airways even more.
What are the symptoms of asthma?
Symptoms include coughing (you may bring up mucus), wheezing (a whistling noise can be heard when breathing), a tight feeling in the chest and breathlessness. An asthma attack can be very frightening if you feel you cannot breathe properly and exhausting if it is not treated quickly and effectively.
Who gets asthma?
We are all potentially asthmatic.If you puff talcum powder down anyone's lungs they will wheeze.Some people just wheeze more readily than others;that is to say their lungs are more sensitive to all sorts of irritants both within and outside the body.Asthma can start at any age and there is often a history of asthma, hayfever or eczema in the family. These are all allergic illnesses that can be set off by different 'triggers' in the environment.
Why and when do people get asthma?
There are many triggers that can set off an asthma attack, including allergies. The most common allergic triggers are birds, furry animals, the house-dust mite, food and pollen. An asthma attack can also be triggered by a cold or a chest infection, pollution, industrial fumes stress, sudden changes in air temperature and some medicines. Asthma is unpredictable. Some people suffer from asthma all the time, while others have symptoms occasionally.
What treatments are available?
There are two main types of treatment, called relievers and preventers.
Relievers are useful when you have asthma symptoms. They relax the muscles around your airways, opening them up and allowing you to breathe more easily. Although relievers treat asthma symptoms they do not prevent them. Relievers may be prescribed as inhalers usually blue), tablets or liquid medicines.
Preventers help treat the inflammation in your airways, reducing the need for you to use relievers. Preventers may be prescribed as inhalers (usually brown or red) or as tablets. If you use a preventer and a reliever,when your asthma is bad you should have a puff or two puffs of the reliever before you have your preventer. This opens up the airways so the preventer can get right down into the lungs. If the inhaler makes you cough (this is not uncommon if you are unwell) use a spacer device (or volumatic).This is like a large 'pop-bottle' into which you can puff the inhaler and then just just breathe in and out naturally.
If you have severe asthma, you may need a short course of steroid tablets. Steroids used for asthma are similar to the steroids produced naturally by your body. They are quite different from anabolic steroids, sometimes illegally used by athletes and bodybuilders.
Lung exercises can also help asthmatics although they may not cure the disease.You can find a link at the bottom of this page.
How do I take my treatment?
Relievers should be taken only as needed to relieve asthma symptoms. Preventers should be taken every day, whether you have symptoms or not. Some patients need machines at home called nebulisers, which allow the asthma medicine to be inhaled as small droplets. Your doctor or nurse will show you how to use inhalers or nebulisers if you need to use them.
Are there side-effects?
There are usually no serious side-effects. Relievers may make your head beat faster and you may become shaky. These side-effects usually decrease with time but may mean that your are using your reliever too often. Some inhaled preventers may make your voice become hoarse or you may develop an infection in your mouth called thrush. Rinsing your mouth and gargling after each dose will help to prevent this.If you are prone to thrush infections in the throat a useful preparation is betadine mouth wash and gargle.Full instructions on using this can be found on this page
Take action now
- Check which is your reliever (often a blue inhaler)and your preventer (often a red or brown inhaler or a tablet).
- Tell your doctor if you you need to use your reliever more often than usual, if your asthma is getting worse or you are suddenly waking up at night with asthma.
- Avoid smoky atmospheres. If you smoke, try to give up.
- If you are allergic to certain animals try to avoid them.
- If you are allergic to house-dust mites, clean surfaces with a damp cloth, vacuum carpets and change bedding regularly.
- If you think you are allergic to certain foods, check the ingredients.
- Take paracetamol for pain relief, rather than aspirin or ibuprofen which might trigger your asthma.
- Ease yourself gently into an exercise programme.
- Try to reduce stress and rushing around.
- Check how your lungs are performing with a peak-flow meter, your doctor or nurse will show you how.
For further information
Advice on lung exercises:www.wt.com.au/~pkolb/buteyko.htm
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