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Asthma and respiratory allergies

Their types, causes, symptoms, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatments

What are asthma and respiratory allergies?

Bronchial asthma, commonly known as asthma, is a medical condition that results from narrowing and swelling of the airways, and excess mucus production in the airways. In an acute asthma attack, which often occurs due to an allergic trigger, the patient may feel wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.

Often, asthma is confused with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonology Disease (COPD). While both the diseases show similar symptoms, they differ largely with respect to the underlying causes and their physical presentation and hence, diagnosis and treatment.

Sometimes, asthma and acute bronchitis occur together in a patient. Such a condition is known as asthmatic bronchitis.

Asthmatic Bronchitis- Increased inflammation and mucus in the bronchus, which often develops from allergies and can be acute or chronic
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonology Disease (COPD)- A group of lung diseases – bronchitis or emphysema (destruction and enlargement of air spaces) or both.

What are the symptoms of asthma?

Symptoms of asthma generally vary from person to person, but some of the common ones are:

Breathing problems like shortness of breath
Pain or tightness in the chest
Sleep difficulty due to shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
Wheezing, a sound like a whistle on exhaling is characteristic of asthma, especially in children

Some common symptoms of bronchitis include:

Breath shortness
Chest discomfort
Cough
Fatigue
Fever with chills
Mucous production

What are the types of asthma?

Depending on the condition that leads to flaring up of the symptoms, asthma may be classified as:

Exercise-induced asthma, where the symptoms aggravate on doing physical activity
Occupational asthma, where the bout gets triggered by certain irritants in workplace like dust, chemicals etc
Allergy-induced asthma, which is induced by natural irritants in the surrounding like pollen, hay, dander, dust allergy etc

What are the causes of asthma?

The exact cause of asthma is not clearly understood, it is believed that there could be associated genetic and environmental factors involved. Some of the common triggers of asthma are:

Blast of cold air
Certain medications
Exposure to irritants like pollen, dust, smoke, mold spores, chemicals etc
Factors eliciting a stress response like exercise, tension, strong emotions etc
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Respiratory diseases and infections of respiratory tract like common cold
Preservatives in fruits, natural food like mushroom, shrimp etc

What are the risk factors of asthma?

Certain conditions that increase the risk of asthma include:

Active or passive smoking
Allergic conditions like hay fever or allergic rhinitis
Constant exposure to pollutants, exhaust fumes,and industrial chemicals
Family history of asthma, especially in parents or siblings
Obesity

How can asthma attacks be prevented?

Though asthma can’t be prevented altogether, certain lifestyle changes can help in preventing the attacks and severity of asthma like:

Adhering to your physician or pulmonologist’s instructions and treatment plan
If advised by your pulmonologist, taking vaccinations for flu and pneumonia
Identifying and avoiding triggers
Learning to identify and treat attacks early without ignoring the warning signs.

How is asthma diagnosed?

Your pulmonologist/immunologist/physician may be able to diagnose asthma with:

Medical history
Physical examination
Tests:

Depending on the requirements, some or combinations of the following tests may be advised

Tests to measure the lung function
- Spirometry
- Peak flow
- Lung function tests
Imaging tests
- Chest X-ray
- Computerized tomography (CT)
Allergy testing
Blood test
Sputum (saliva) eosinophilcount
Bronchial provocationtesting
Additional tests if required
- Methacholine challenge
- Nitric oxide test

What are the treatments for asthma?

Treatment of asthma is focused on preventing acute asthma attacks and maintaining a long-term control. Some of the treatment options include:

Medications:

Medications- oral or intravenous, nebulization
Asthma inhalers with bronchodilators for quick relief
Immunotherapy or allergy shots to reduce the reaction of the immune system to specific allergens

Bronchial thermoplasty is suggested for severe asthma that does not respond to medications. It is a safe, minimally invasive procedure that aims to open up the narrowed airways and facilitate airflow (and breathing). This is achieved by selectively reducing the thickness of the smooth muscle mass by applying radio-frequency pulses.

An asthma attack should be treated as an emergency. Call for medical help –

When shortness of breath occurs at rest or when it is triggered with slightest physical activity
When shortness of breath or wheezing is uncontrollable and doesn’t improve even after using an inhaler

It is important to learn more about bronchial thermoplasty, its clinical efficacy, safety, success rates, and improved asthma outcomes it has to offer.

To know more about asthma, you can request a callback and our asthma and respiratory allergies specialist will call you and answer all your queries.

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References

Mayo Clinic. Asthma. Available at:https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/asthma/symptoms-causes/syc-20369653. Accessed on March 7, 2018.
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Asthma. Available at:https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/asthma Accessed on March 7, 2018
Centre for disease control and prevention. Asthma. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/faqs.htm Accessed on March 7, 2018

Disclaimer: The content of this publication has been developed by a third party content provider who is clinicians and/or medical writers and/or experts. The information contained herein is for educational purpose only and we request you to please consult a Registered Medical Practitioner or Doctor before deciding the appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan.