Asthma

Can a cold worsen the asthma?

Among the non-allergic asthma initiators, the viral colds are the most frequent cause of the disease deterioration. After several days of the typical cold symptoms, “asthma reaches the lungs” and coughing and breathing difficulties occur. Viral colds in adults can activate asthma that has been completely dormant for years.

Taking asthma medications during the initial cold symptoms is recommended to the patients whose asthma frequently and regularly deteriorates because of the viral colds.

Can asthma patients play sports?

Playing sports and other physical activities are recommended to asthma patients. This is especially important when it comes to children, so that the respiratory muscles would develop in the best possible way and the appearance of the excessive weight due to physical inactivity would be prevented.

If physical effort is a proven asthma actuator, taking the medication before the activity is recommended (bronchodilator, antileukotriene). Persons who are allergic to mites should give advantage to the outdoor sports. Avoiding the outdoor physical activities during the flowering time of the plants is recommended to the persons who are allergic to pollen. Scuba diving and skydiving is not recommended to asthma patients.

Is there a connection between asthma and allergic rhinitis?

This is a very common phenomenon. It is believed that 40% of the total patients with the allergic rhinitis also have asthma, and that even 90% of the asthma patients also have the allergic rhinitis.

Allergic rhinitis usually precedes asthma by several years, which is why it is considered as a direct risk factor for asthma development. It looks like asthma is more severe in patients with an active allergic rhinitis and that a simultaneous treatment of the allergic rhinitis is necessary for an effective asthma treatment.

Can asthma development be prevented in persons with allergies?

It is believed that in patients who suffer from the allergic rhinitis and not asthma, a careful rhinitis treatment can prevent the occurrence of asthma or at least mitigate its course. With the purpose of preventing asthma, it is necessary to educate the asthma patients who are planning to have children about the necessity to avoid allergens and other asthma actuators during pregnancy.

This refers to the avoidance of the known allergens (mites, pollen) and highly allergenic foods in the diets of pregnant women and wet nurses (shells, shrimps, strawberries, etc.). Not smoking and avoiding the passive exposure to cigarette smoke is also extremely important. Similar measures are required in children who have a high risk of developing asthma (allergic parents or a significant family tendency).

It is worth mentioning that the preventive measures in the homes of these children (removal of carpets, wall papers, stuffed toys, cleanliness, use of acaricide resources) are very important. Keeping pets, especially cats, is not recommended in the homes of persons with allergies.

Asthma symptoms

Typically, asthma is characterized by the attacks of breathing problems, followed by coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest pressure. These attacks usually happen during the night and right before dawn; they are sporadic and related to the severity degree of the disease.

In their less typical form, the attacks of dry and irritated cough can be the only signs of asthma. Asthma should also be a main suspect in patients who have frequent colds that regularly “descend into the lungs” and last for more than 10 days.

What to do if the disease deteriorates?

It is necessary to evaluate the degree of deterioration. In the ideal circumstances, this evaluation can be done by a well educated asthma patient. Otherwise, it will be done by the doctor. The evaluation of asthma symptoms is supported by the use of a peak expiratory flow meter (PEF meter).

This is a small, simple device which the patient uses to measure the air flow through the respiratory airways during the exhalation. The measured values are then compared to the normal grid values for the appropriate age and sex.

If the PEF is between 60% and 80% of the expected values in the deterioration stage, it is necessary to increase the medication dosages, and if the PEF is under 60% of the expected value or less than 150 L / min, it is necessary to seek medical assistance. It is recommended that the patient keeps a written plan of actions that should be performed in the case of an asthma attack.

What is an Asthma attack?

This attack refers to the acute deterioration of asthma followed by rapid and difficult breathing, wheezing, coughing, and chest pressure. During the more serious attacks, a patient can also be sweaty, scared, and his/her lips and fingers can turn blue. It is specifically recommended that patients with mild or moderately severe attacks speak in full sentences, and the ones with the severe attacks should speak intermittently, due to coughing and choking.

More severe attacks are characterized by rapid pulse, inability to perform any physical activity, including walking. The course of events during an asthma attack is very diverse and sometimes very fast, which is why it can turn into a deadly condition in a matter of minutes.

How to prevent an Asthma attack?

The attacks are most easily prevented by efficiently avoiding the actuators, which can be achieved relatively rarely. The adjustments of the environment, especially in the cases of professional asthma, can be of great significance. The education of a patient is especially important when it comes to the timely recognition of the earliest signs of the upcoming asthma attack and the appropriate therapeutic procedures.

An educated patient will recognize the deterioration signs and will, in accordance with the previous consultation with the doctor (written treatment plan is the most valuable), increase the medication dosage and possibly prevent the further deterioration of the attack.

How asthma is diagnosed?

Asthma diagnosis is easy in typical cases. When performing a diagnosis, the disease data that the doctor receives from the patient is especially important. Based on this information, the suspected asthma is either confirmed (or discarded) by the results of the examination.

These examinations include spirometry (lung function measurement), blood flow measurement, skin allergy testing, and possible x-ray of the chest cavity and paranasal sinuses. During the attacks, asthma can be diagnosed by relying on the results of a relatively typical physical examination, or the result that the doctor gets by listening to the lungs with a stethoscope.

What is spirometry?

Spirometry is a method used to objectively measure the lung function. It provides the information about the lung capacity and the airflow in the airways and the insight into the level of the airway blockage. The spirometry results help in diagnosing asthma, determining the severity level of a stable disease or attack, and modifying the medication dosage.

What is allergy testing?

If the patient’s records indicate that asthma is caused by the environmental factors (allergens), this assumption must be confirmed. This is done by the allergy testing. The test is done by applying a drop of the allergen onto the skin, mostly on the front of the forearm, through which the skin is pricket with a lancet (prick test).

The appearance of a limited swelling or redness of the skin at the place of the prick indicates the positive test result. The test result must be interpreted in comparison with the patient’s records. Testing for a large number of allergens that do not have a practical significance is a common mistake.

How is asthma classified according to its severity?

The classification of asthma according to its severity is very useful from the aspect of a rational treatment of this disease. According to the guidelines of the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), asthma has 4 severity levels. The mildest one is the occasional (intermittent) asthma (GINA I).

Permanent asthma can be mild (GINA II), moderate (GINA III), and severe (GINA IV). This classification is based on the frequency of the symptoms and the degree of the lung function deterioration, which is determined by spirometry or the use of the PEF meter. Each severity level is treated with appropriate medications and the measures for avoiding the actuators are implemented in all levels.