Asthma: 7 things you should know
Even if you’re asthmatic, there’s nothing to stop you from leading a full and active life, says Prof. Shyam Fernando of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo. It is not fully understood why some people develop asthma. Experts believe that it is neither purely genetic nor environmental factors to blame, instead an interaction of both triggers an asthmatic attack. As part of our on-going series, here he shares with us 7 things you should know about asthma.
1: Asthma is a disease of the breathing tubes: The inner lining of the breathing tubes can become extremely sensitive to various triggers such as dip in temperature or the presence of dust, viral infections and allergens. The tubes become inflamed and subsequently narrow, making it difficult to breathe. The body might also begin producing more mucous that further clogs up your airways, hindering the passage of your breath.
2: All asthmatics don’t wheeze: Wheezing is the best known symptom of asthma but some asthmatics can have unusual symptoms such as a dry hacking cough, sighing constantly, feeling ‘chesty’ after a simple flu or experiencing their attacks only in the early morning hours. Cough, chest tightness and breathlessness are other symptoms and all of these can enhance the feeling that you are undergoing slow suffocation, adding panic to the mix during an asthmatic attack.
3: Asthma runs in families, but not always: A person can get asthma as an adult never having had it as a child or sharing the condition with anyone else in the family. Childhood asthma continues to impact millions of children and their families. The majority of children who develop asthma do so before the age of five. Some children with asthma grow out of it, but are always at a higher risk of getting it back later in life. If asthma or atopy runs in your family, exposure to airborne allergens and irritants may make your airways more reactive to substances in the air you breathe.
4: Asthmatics may have allergies, but not always: Most, but not all, people who have asthma have allergies. Allergens are found in dust, animal fur, cockroaches, mould, and pollens from trees, grass, and flowers, while irritants can be cigarette smoke, air pollution, dust and chemicals. Asthmatics may have other atopic conditions such as eczema and rhinitis (catarrh). Treating one doesn’t make the other worse and may in fact be essential to treatment.
5: Don’t put off seeking treatment: It is advisable to not put off seeking treatment – this will help prevent the symptoms from worsening and cumulating in a severe, possibly life threatening attack. By visiting a doctor when the symptoms first begin to appear and then continuing with treatment under a doctor’s supervision, you have a better chance of managing the condition. Unfortunately, a cure for asthma does not exist.
6: Medications are best given as inhalers: They are safe, not addictive and deliver the medication right to the target where it is needed. Currently, asthma is treated with two types of medicines: long-term control medicines and quick-relief medicines. However, sometimes the symptoms worsen culminating in a severe asthma attack which needs emergency care. Be cautious: taking frequent and excessive doses of reliever medication without taking a controller medication is risky.
7: Being asthmatic doesn’t prevent you from living a full, healthy life: Asthma does not need to restrict the lifestyle such as physical activity and food habits (unless specific food items make it worse). While many asthmatics fear exercise will trigger an attack, Sri Lanka’s warm, humid climate is on their side, making it easier to lead an active lifestyle here.
Some indications that you have the condition under control are if you have symptoms no more than two days a week and they don’t wake you from sleep more than once or twice a month; if you can carry out all your normal activities; if you take quick-relief medicines no more than two days a week and if you have no more than one asthma attack a year that requires you to take corticosteroids by mouth. If any of these elements isn’t true in your case, it’s best to seek a doctor’s advice. Do not stop medicines without consulting your doctor.
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