Asthma

Asthma

Description Symptoms Causes Diagnostics Treatment

Description

Asthma is a major chronic noncommunicable disease in which the small airways in the lungs become inflamed and narrow causing a variety of symptoms.

It affects 8.4% of adults and 5.8% of children around the world, and it's more common among females.

Asthma commonly starts in childhood but can develop at any time throughout life, with some people experiencing their first asthma attack as adults.

Symptoms

Asthma patients suffer from repeated episodes of :

        Coughing
        Wheezes
        Breathlessness
        Chest tightness
        Sleep disturbances


These symptoms increase at night or early morning and are usually reversible.

Visit your Chest and Respiratory doctor if you or your child has symptoms of asthma to be diagnosed properly

Causes

The likelihood of having asthma has been linked to different factors.

        Family history of asthma or other atopic diseases- especially if a close relative has asthma
        Having other allergic conditions- such as urticaria and allergic rhinitis
        Premature birth
        Low birth weight
        Exposure to viral infections in early life
       Air pollution
Asthma triggers can be identified according to the type of asthma:

        Allergic and environmental asthma : It’s triggered by Cokoraches, animal dander, molds, pollen, exposure to tobacco smoke, dust, and exposure to chemicals.
        Exercise-induced asthma : It’s triggered by doing exercise, especially in cold and dry air, chlorinated pools, practicing in areas with a high level of pollution, and exposure to cigarette smoke.
        Work-related asthma : It’s triggered by sensitizers or irritants found in the workplace such as chemicals, dust, and cleaning materials.

Diagnostics

The following tests and procedures may be used for diagnosis :

Spirometry : The patient blows air into a machine that measures the amount the patient can inhale and how rapidly he can exhale it.

FeNO test : The patient breathes into a machine that measures nitric oxide, which is a marker for lung inflammation.

Peak-flow test : It may be done multiple times over a few weeks to evaluate if the ability to exhale quickly changes. The patient blows into a handheld gadget that measures this.

Skin prick test : An allergen is applied to the skin in a little amount to check if it causes a reaction.

Blood tests : A blood sample is tested to know allergens that trigger asthma symptoms.

Treatment

There’s no cure for asthma but symptoms can be controlled by different measures.

The patient should avoid the cause that triggers his asthma symptoms, for example closing the windows, using an air conditioner, and limiting outdoor time in pollen season for patients triggered by pollens.

Your doctor may prescribe you :

Inhalers : The type of inhaler may differ according to the case.

        Reliever inhaler : Used for acute symptoms as salbutamol.
        Controller inhaler : It contains corticosteroids and is considered the mainstay for asthma control (ex: Fluticasone propionate). Or it can be a combination of inhaled corticosteroids with another type of medication (ex: Salmeterol & fluticasone, Formoterol & mometasone, and Budesonide & formoterol).
        Combination: Contains both reliever and corticosteroids (ex: Salbutamol & beclomethasone).
Tablets : May be used as add-on therapy if the patient is not well controlled (ex: Montelukast,  Zafirlukast, Theophylline).

Biologic therapy : Reserved for uncontrolled patients with documented allergies (ex: Omalizumab)

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