Asthma

Asthma is an ancient Greek word meaning “painting or short drawn breath”. It is the most troublesome of the respiratory diseases. Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways in the human body. The inflammation causes the airways to narrow from time to time. This narrowing can produce wheezing and breathlessness. An asthma attack affects the bronchi and bronchioles in the lungs. In people with asthma, certain materials, such as dust and pollen, can irritate these tubes. As these tubes become irritated, they swell and give off mucus, a sticky liquid. The liquid fills air spaces in the bronchi and bronchioles. Both swelling and mucus narrow the tubes, making it more difficult for air to get in and out of the lungs. As a result, an asthmatic person has to make a much greater effort to breathe in air and to expel it.

 

Causes

 It is a complex disorder involving bio-chemical, infectious, endocrinological and psychological factors. Asthma in children is usually extrinsic; that is, most attacks are associated with an allergenic hypersensitivity to a foreign substance, as airborne pollen, house dust, certain foods, animal hair and skin, insect, smoke and various drugs. A few cases may be caused by and inherited or acquired defects.

Signs and Symptoms

Asthma is characterized by the following symptoms:

.         May have increased pulse, anxiety or fear,

.         Wheezing, prolonged expiration and imitative cough,

.         Over-inflation of the chest,

.         Inflammation of the bronchial wall.

.         Muscles around the airways tighten up,

.         Disturbed sleep caused by shortness of breath, cough or wheezing,

.         Shortness of breath and feeling of suffocation,

.         Interrupted talking,

.         Presence of allergic reactions and familial allergic disease,

.         Presence of large number of eosinophils,

.         In severe cases, the patient may have bluish skin around the lips and fingers,

.         The patient mat sit upright, lean forward, or take some other position to make

          breathing easier.

.         Children with chronic asthma develop a barrel chest.  

Prevention and Control

The following preventive measures can be adopted:

.         Ensure personal hygiene and environmental sanitation,

.         A patient should be guarded against cold and kept in a ventilated and warm room,

.         A patient should be given liquid food,

.         Avoid exposure to tobacco smoke,

.         Remove stuffed toys or wash them each week in hot water,

.         As much as possible, avoid contact between an asthma patient and family pets

          To which he or she is allergic,

.         Proper treatment of allergy and its causes,

.         Keep indoor air clean,

.         Avoid outdoor exercise when air pollution levels are high,

.         Constipation should be avoided,

.         Exposure to workplace allergens can be avoided by following simple

          Precautions,

.         Manage immediate and intensive treatment under the supervision of

          Doctors in a severe attack,

.         A chest x-ray and more elaborate pulmonary function tests may be necessary,

.         Regular follow-up visits are important to maintain asthma control,

.         As early as possible, asthma patients should be trained in the treatment and

          Control of their disease,

       

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