Asthma: symptoms, causes, treatment

Definition

What is asthma?

Bronchial asthma, or "asthma" as you may be more familiar with it, is a disease caused by inflammation in the airways (bronchi). The inflammation eventually makes the airways swollen and very sensitive.

As a result, the respiratory tract narrows so that the air entering the lungs is limited.

The inflammation also makes cells in the respiratory tract make more mucus than normal. This mucus can further constrict your airways and make it difficult for you to breathe freely.

Depending on the trigger factor, asthma is usually divided into several types, namely:

• Sports asthma
• Nocturnal asthma (relapses only at night)
• Asthma due to certain occupations
• Asthma cough
• Allergic asthma

One of the myths about asthma that is quite believed by many people is that this disease can be cured. Unfortunately, this is simply not true.

Asthma cannot be completely cured. If you don't feel the symptoms as often as you used to, this is a sign that you are able to control your asthma well.

How common is this condition?

According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 339 million people in the world have this condition. Indonesia itself is in the 20th position as a country with the most cases of deaths due to asthma.

This disease that affects breathing is more common in children. However, adults under the age of 40 can experience it as well.

Bronchial asthma is one of the most common non-communicable diseases worldwide, with a relatively low mortality rate.

However, most of the cases of death were found in low and middle to lower income countries, including Indonesia.

Signs & Symptoms

What are the signs and symptoms of asthma?

When a person has an asthma attack, the symptoms vary widely. Each person may experience different symptoms, both in terms of severity, duration of attacks, and frequency.

You may "relapse" after a long absence, then suddenly become "routine" having an asthma attack. Meanwhile, other people may experience symptoms every day, or only at night, or perhaps only after activity.

Some of the characteristics and typical symptoms of asthma are:

• Cough
• Wheezing
• Chest tightness
• Hard to breathe

Apart from the four most common above, other symptoms that may arise due to asthma include:

• The body is weak, lethargic, and weak
• Nasal sound
• Continuous sighing
• Unusual restlessness

If you suspect one or more of the symptoms that have been mentioned, do not hesitate to see a doctor immediately.

Recognizing the severity of asthma

Not only knowing the symptoms, it is also important to understand the severity of the bronchial asthma you are suffering from.

The reason is, asthma recurrence usually depends on how severe the condition you have.

The following are the severity levels of asthma:

• Intermittent
• Light persistence
• Medium persistence
• Persistent weight

Cause

What causes asthma?

Experts do not know exactly what causes asthma. However, attacks generally occur when a person is exposed to the trigger. Some things that may be the cause of asthma triggers, include:

• Active smokers and passive smokers.
• Upper respiratory tract infection (such as cold, flu, or pneumonia).
• Allergies to food, pollen, mold, dust mites, and pet dander.
• Exposure to airborne substances (such as air pollution, chemical fumes, or toxins).
• Weather factors (such as cold, windy and hot weather supported by poor air quality and drastic temperature changes).
• Take certain drugs (such as aspirin, NSAIDs, and beta-blockers).
• Foods or drinks that contain preservatives (such as MSG).
• Experiencing severe stress and anxiety.
• Singing, laughing, or crying excessively.
• Perfumes and fragrances.
• Have a history of acid reflux disease (GERD).

Risk Factors

Who is at high risk for this disease?

This disease can affect anyone, even adults in their 30s or 40s. Indeed, most cases have been detected since the patient was infancy or childhood.

However, about 25 percent of people with bronchial asthma have their first attack in adulthood.

According to WHO, this disease is the most common disease experienced by children because:

• Parents have a history of this disease.
• Have respiratory infections, such as pneumonia and bronchitis.
• Having certain atopic allergies, such as food allergies or eczema.
• Low birth weight.
• Premature birth.

Diagnosis

How do doctors diagnose this disease?

This condition can only be diagnosed by a doctor. Your doctor will ask about your medical history (including the type and frequency of symptoms), family medical history, and undergo a physical exam and lung function tests.

Tell your doctor if your closest family, such as parents, siblings, and grandparents have this condition.

Also tell about the symptoms you feel, starting from when and how often you experience them.

During a physical exam, your doctor will listen to your breathing and look for signs of respiratory disease or allergies.

The doctor will then use a spirometry test to check how your lungs are working. This test measures how fast and how much air you can inhale and exhale.

If needed, the doctor can also perform a number of other tests, such as:

• Allergy test to find out the allergens affecting you, if any.
• Bronchial test to measure the sensitivity of your airways.
• Tests to show if you have other conditions with the same symptoms as asthma (for example, reflux, vocal cord disorders, or acid reflux sleep apnea)
• Chest x-ray or EKG (electrocardiogram). This test will help determine if a foreign object or other disease is causing your symptoms.

Treatment

How to treat asthma?

This disease cannot be cured. The treatment given is only intended to reduce symptoms and prevent relapses.

Asthma treatment should be discussed between you and your doctor. This is done in order to get effective and maximum treatment results.

The following are the treatment options given by the doctor:

1. Long-term control medication

If the condition you are experiencing is chronic or persistent, mild to severe, the suitable treatment for you is long-term therapy.

Long-term treatment aims to control the severity of symptoms, and prevent recurrences on an ongoing basis.

2. Short-term control drugs

Short-term treatment is more aimed at relieving acute attacks immediately when they occur. The function of this drug is to help relieve new symptoms that appear and come back from time to time. However, this medicine should not be taken for more than 2 weeks.

If you use any of these medicines for more than 2 weeks, consult a doctor immediately.

Your doctor can make changes to your asthma action plan to suit your condition.

Complications

What are the possible complications of asthma?

Asthma that is not properly controlled can affect your overall health. In fact, this disease can have a direct impact on the functions of your body. Likewise, if the treatment is not right.

Here are some of the complications of asthma that may occur:

• Pneumonia (lung infection)
• Partial or complete lung damage
• Respiratory failure, in which oxygen levels in the blood become very low, or carbon dioxide levels become very high
• Asthma status (severe asthma attack that does not respond to treatment)

These complications require emergency medical assistance as they can be fatal.

Prevention

How to prevent recurrence of asthma attacks?

Although it cannot be cured, you can prevent this disease from recurring.

Here are some things you can do to prevent asthma recurrence, including:

1. Create an asthma action plan

Each patient with this condition is advised to determine a treatment plan with their doctor and other healthcare team. This is called an asthma action plan. The doctor will help determine the type of medication and treatment that suits your condition.

Make sure you follow the treatment plan so that recurrence of symptoms can be prevented.

2. Avoid the trigger factors

A person will experience a symptom attack if exposed to the trigger. Therefore, identify the things that can trigger your symptom recurrence.

Some of the most common trigger factors are exposure to irritants from cigarette smoke, air pollution, chemicals in household products to animal dander and pollen.

3. Routinely check lung function

Routinely check lung function with peak flow meter also could be a way to prevent recurrence of attacks. Peak flow meter helps measure the amount of airflow in the person's breath so that it will be easier to handle before symptoms worsen.

On the other hand, this tool can also help identify the trigger so that sufferers can avoid it.

4. Take medication as recommended by your doctor

When symptoms of asthma appear, immediately take the medicine recommended by the doctor and stop the activities that trigger the recurrence of symptoms. If your symptoms do not improve, do not hesitate to see a doctor immediately.

Do not stop medication without the doctor knowing even though you feel better.

Make sure you also always carry your asthma medication with you wherever you go, and every time you consult a doctor. This will make it easier for the doctor to see the effects of the treatment you are currently undergoing.

6. Flu vaccine

A recurrence of symptoms can be triggered by a prolonged cough due to the flu. So, there is nothing wrong with doing the flu vaccine. But make sure you consult your doctor first.