What You Need to Know About Asthma?

In U.S, almost five percent of all adults suffer from asthma. It is even worse, however, in children: Around one in ten children suffers from shortness of breath. How dangerous is it? And how can I distinguish between a cough and an asthma attack?

What You Need to Know About Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects people of all ages. It causes episodes of wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Although there is no cure, most people are able to control their asthma with conventional therapies and by avoiding the substances that can set off asthma attacks. Even so, some people turn to complementary health practices such as acupuncture, breathing exercises, and herbal supplements in their efforts to relieve symptoms.

Physicians divide asthma into four levels of severity:

I.-   recurring discomfort,
II-  sustained, mild symptoms,
III- persistent, moderate symptoms,
IV- is persistent, severe symptoms.

Depending on the severity and cause of the therapy is also different. If the breath is triggered by an allergy, that are, for example house dust mites in the mattress responsible for the over-reaction of the lungs, it may be sufficient to replace the mattress.

But what happens when the shutter button is impossible to tell? Is a full recovery possible?

Corticosteroids can afford modern Remedy: be inhaled normally and act quickly. They usually facilitate the life of asthma patients a lot. In rare cases of "spontaneous healing" the asthma attacks suddenly hear on by itself or disappear for many years. Why is usually unclear.

There are also, however, other possibilities of therapy and treatment. More about asthma and about treatment and diagnosis:

1- Diagnosis of Asthma

Coughing, whistling in the chest - this could be asthma. To be safe, you should consult a physician in all cases! He listens to the patient from typical sounds and performs a so-called peak flow measurement. The speed of the exhaled air flow is measured in liters per minute. Additionally bronchospasmolysis test is performed, a test of the lung. From the data obtained, the physician can determine whether it is not in the discomfort to asthma.

The situation is more difficult in children: In their case, the disease is often not reflected by the typical symptoms but simply by coughing. The can also have many other causes. Therefore, asthma is found in children often made late.

2.- Symptoms of Asthma

The word asthma comes from the Greek word meaning "panting" and "shortness of breath". These are also the two main symptoms of asthma. During an asthma attack, the parties have trouble breathing. Particularly difficult for them falls to exhale the air you inhale again. In addition to breathing difficulties, there are other symptoms of asthma: A typical whistling in the chest and persistent cough occur. Some patients also report a sensation as if the chest is constricted. Important: In a fit to respond quickly! Acute respiratory distress in serious cases, can be life threatening.

3.- Asthma Attack

If the bronchial overreacted and cramped the respiratory muscles, doctors speak of an asthma attack. The reactions vary from person to person: Some take a seizure a few seconds. Sometimes the breathlessness also be accompanied by a strong cough and last for several hours. In severe cases, the person concerned is literally breathless. This is not without its dangers. Therefore should already be used at the first signs of an impending asthma attack corticosteroids (drugs that are in chemical structure to the body's hormone cortisol similar). The cortisone for inhalation is injected directly into the throat, thus acts on the scene. Corticosteroids are available in different compositions and dosages. Depending on the severity of the disease, the physician prescribes the medication for an acute asthma attack or even for a long-term treatment.

4. - Treatment of asthma

Before you can start the treatment of asthma, must be clarified what the asthma triggers. Is there a single cause, such as an allergy? Then the treatment of asthma is relatively simple: If a perfume or the hair of the pet's fault, the patient may no longer come into contact with. Difficult the treatment of asthma, if the cause can not be determined precisely. A lung specialist can curb the disease often successfully - it has to be fought entirely is not always possible. In some rare cases it can lead to a "spontaneous remission." Then disappears from the disease often inexplicably as if by a general rule for asthmatics and for all tuberculosis patients: smoking!

5.- Allergy and Asthma

If the lungs overreact to certain stimuli, asthma can make life a misery. In extreme cases, acute respiratory distress is even life threatening. How and why there is a fit, must be addressed by a doctor. Often the combination of allergy and asthma for the hypersensitivity of the bronchial tissue is responsible. Allergy and asthma come together, solve certain substances from the environment of the symptoms. These include pollen, dust, dust mites, mold spores, pet dander, chemical solvents or perfume.

If it is not an allergy and asthma occurs only sporadically, in many cases, infections, drugs or cold air that trigger the asthma attacks.