Asthma: causes, symptoms, treatment, prevention

The need for oxygen in humans is in the first place, but what if asthma interferes with breathing calmly? Where does this disease come from and what symptoms does it have? Is it possible to somehow provide prevention? In this article, we will answer all important questions.

Asthma Causes

The increased irritability of the bronchi occurs for many reasons. Let's consider the main ones.

Genetic predisposition

If one of the parents is sick or had asthma, then the chances of transmitting the disease to the child by genes are very high. Cases in which asthma has a similar origin account for a third of the total. Most often it is atopic, i.e. allergenic look. Tracking pathogens is very difficult. The development of such asthma can occur at absolutely any age.

Professional factor

Harmful production factors are also common causes of the disease. Various vapors and dust that enter the respiratory tract. Moreover, if a printer is constantly working in the office, this is a huge risk area.

Chronic infections

Untreated bronchitis and other respiratory diseases are serious reasons for the development of bronchial asthma. Therefore, never act on the principle of "it will pass by itself" - always cure the disease thoroughly.

Inhaled air quality

Residents of megalopolises almost always experience problems with the respiratory system. This is due to the poor quality of the inhaled air, which is mostly carbon dioxide. Therefore, it is so important at least sometimes to go out of town for the weekend, to clean air.

Wrong way of life

Smoking and a sedentary lifestyle negatively affect the functioning of the respiratory system. In particular, smoking contributes to the transformation of the bronchial mucosa, which leads to the characteristic bronchial cough. As a rule, if a person quits smoking, then the cough stops, but he can remain in a chronic condition.

Dust

Scientists have established a link between dust and bronchial asthma. Everything is explained by the fact that mites live in house dust, in most cases. In addition to them, particles of the epithelium and other organic components soar. Unlike house dust, street dust provokes asthma only if it contains pollen, animal hair, etc.

Medicines

Bronchial asthma often occurs due to the intake of certain medications. Such a reaction can develop to anything, including the usual aspirin and any non-steroidal drugs. Often, the disease is isolated and all symptoms occur exclusively at the time of taking the medication.

Asthma symptoms

How successful it will be to cure asthma depends largely on the stage at which it is diagnosed. Naturally, the sooner the better. Listen carefully to your body and seek help if necessary.

• Feeling of suffocation and shortness of breath. Appears more often in the evening and at night. In this case, physical activity may be completely absent. Comes abruptly.
• Cough. In asthma it is dry, "comes" along with shortness of breath. The feeling that a person wants to cough up something, but cannot. Only at the end can it become moist, giving off mucous-type phlegm.
• Frequent breathing of a shallow nature with a heavy, long exhalation. It is difficult to exhale fully.
• Wheezing when breathing. During breathing, the patient makes a whistling or hoarse sound.

The above described symptoms are characteristic in the initial stage of the disease, therefore, if there are already 1-2 symptoms, it is worth seeking the help of a specialist for diagnosis.

In absolutely any degree of severity, bronchial asthma does not affect the overall development of the body and does not cause any disturbances. However, over time, the following symptoms may appear:

• Weakness and malaise. During an attack, a person cannot actively move and strive to reduce physical activity in order to make up for the lack of oxygen.
• Blueness of the skin. It is characteristic in severe stages of asthma. Informs about the progression of the disease.
• Tachycardia. At the time of attacks, the heartbeat increases to 130 beats per minute. In the intervals between attacks, the number of strokes is about 90.
• Changes in the nail plate. It becomes convex.
• Emphysema of the lungs. It is characteristic for prolonged and severe course of the disease. There is an enlarged chest and other symptoms, which are determined by a specialist.
• Dizziness and headache. As a sign of respiratory distress.
• Hypersensitivity to allergens. May occur allergy.

Types of asthma

• Asthma on exertion. Symptoms are exacerbated at the time of physical exertion. It is characteristic even of athletes who, as such, do not have a disease at all, just 1-2 signs appear. As a rule, it occurs 10-15 minutes after the start of classes or increased physical activity. Expressed by wheezing and coughing. To prevent it, before exertion, you must use an inhaler that the doctor prescribes.
• Cough asthma. A very violent cough is characteristic. Recently, it has been encountered very often, but it is extremely difficult to diagnose, which leads to difficulties in treatment. The main provocateurs are respiratory diseases and exercise. A doctor should be consulted if there is a persistent long-term cough. After passing special tests and tests, a diagnosis will be made.
• Professional. Pathogens of this type are at the patient's work. A person feels on himself the main part of the symptoms (exacerbation) only at the workplace, and the weekend goes away. Lachrymation of the eyes, nasal congestion and cough are characteristic, but no whistling. At risk are: hairdressers; people working with animals; medical workers; joiners; farmers.
• Night. As the name suggests, symptoms appear at night, and are also quite common. The danger lies in the high mortality rate, with exacerbation of asthma at night, when a person sleeps. There are many factors that can provoke this exacerbation, therefore personal consultation with a specialist is very important. Taking your prescribed medications correctly can help reduce your risk.

Asthma in adults

In adults, asthma is mostly an acquired disease due to poor lifestyle choices. Therefore, it is important to monitor your health and not forget about it even at work. At the first symptoms of asthma, it is important to seek the help of a specialist, because in the early stages the disease is much easier to treat.

Asthma in children

Childhood asthma, unlike adults, can be hereditary. There are several types:

• atopic (occurs when allergic reactions);
• non-atopic (occurs only when the body sensitively reacts to allergens, but the allergy itself is not observed);
• bronchial, three stages (most often it is a genetic disease, but it may not manifest itself if the immune system is strengthened).

It is very difficult for children to be diagnosed at an early stage, as symptoms can be confused with the common cold. Therefore, many parents simply do not attach much importance to this, not suspecting that the baby has a serious illness. But with the bronchial variety, the child has no temperature, and sputum does not come out with a cough.

There are several reasons for asthma in babies:

• Sexual characteristics. According to statistics, boys are much more susceptible to the disease, due to the different structure of the respiratory system: in the bronchial tree, the gaps are much narrower than in girls.
• Overweight. The high position of the diaphragm in this case creates problems with ventilation of the lungs. This explains the tendency of obese children to asthma.
• Genetics. If someone in the family is already sick or suffers from allergies, then such a child's chances of getting asthma increase significantly.

Asthma can also be caused by simple provocateurs, such as:

• honey, chocolate, citrus fruits, nuts and dairy products;
• mold in rooms and high humidity in the house;
• pets, or rather their wool;
• some types of medicines;
• pollen from flowering plants;
• vapors of cleaning agents, etc.

Asthma attack - what to do

An asthma attack can cause anything. More often it happens:

• tobacco smoke and exhaust fumes;
• smells of perfumes and deodorants;
• hygiene products with fragrances;
• sugary aromas;
• medications.

If an attack happened in a person who did not have time to see a doctor earlier and the diagnosis was not established, an ambulance must be called urgently. And while waiting for the latter to provide first aid.

1. Unbutton your shirt (it is necessary that nothing squeezes the chest and neck and does not interfere with breathing).
2. Help the person to take the correct position: sit up straight, or put it so that the support goes on the elbows spread apart on the table - this will help to use the additional respiratory system.
3. Calm down the victim, try to breathe as evenly as possible together.
4. Provide fresh air in the room.

In case of a light attack, the patient can be given a hot bath of the hands or feet, or mustard plasters can be applied to the legs. If a person uses an inhaler, help him get to it and remove it from the package. Install the nozzle yourself and turn it over. If the patient cannot press the device on his own, do it for him. Correct use of the inhaler: every 20 minutes, 2-3 times.

Asthma treatment

Asthma treatment is given every day, but such attention greatly brings success. However, it is worth realizing that chronic asthma is not amenable to complete treatment. The basic principle of therapy is based on medications. And as auxiliary techniques, doctors use breathing practices and physiotherapy. It is extremely dangerous to engage in such self-medication, it is much better to entrust the process to knowledgeable people.

Alternative asthma treatment

Before using traditional medicine, be sure to make sure that you are not allergic to the ingredients in the recipe.

• In a 1: 1 ratio, mix pomegranate juice, honey and ginger juice. The medication is taken every day, 2-3 tablespoons.
• Peel the garlic (10 cloves) and boil over low heat in 100 g of milk, about four minutes. Use the resulting broth exclusively before bedtime.
• Add five drops of eucalyptus oil to boiling water and inhale while taking deep breaths.
• Drink a solution of honey with water three times a day: a spoonful of honey for 0.5 cups of water. It is important that the beekeeping product is 100% natural.
• Eat 0.5 onions daily.
• Make a daily intake of water in which honey is diluted and 0.5 lemon squeezed.

Prevention of asthma

As a prevention of any other disease - first of all, you need to temper the immune system in order to activate the protective functions of the body. In addition, it is necessary to avoid pathogens that can cause its appearance. Never self-medicate, in terms of taking medications, since in most cases, asthma is diagnosed precisely because of improper self-administration.