Asthma

ASTHMA

Asthma is a chronic airway disease. It can cause tightness of the chest and shortness of breath. Asthma can lead to death if not treated or managed well.

Signs and symptoms:

Cough
Breathing difficulty
Wheezing sound
Chest tightness
Face and lips turn pale and blue
Increased pulse rate

All symptoms can worsen during late nights, early mornings and during exercise.

Each patient would have different trigger factors for asthma attacks. You need to identify your trigger factors before you can work to prevent it.

Common triggers:

Allergens such as pest, pollens and pets such as cats and dogs
Cigarette smoke
Virus infection such as flu
Weather conditions such as cold air, changes in temperature, and thunderstorms
Occupational hazards such as chemicals and wood dust
Certain medications

SELF CARE

You can lead a normal and active life with good management of your asthma.

Reduce, remove or avoid your trigger factors to prevent asthma attacks.

TREATMENT

Your doctor will prescribe one or more medications depending on the severity of your asthma.

Reliever medicinerelaxes the airway muscles and makes it easier to breathe when you have asthma symptoms. If you find you are using your reliever more often than 3 times a week, you should see your doctor.
A preventer medicinehelps to reduce the inflammation in your airways. It should be taken every day, even when you have no symptoms. Preventers significantly reduce the chance of you having an asthma attack, even when you come across an asthma trigger.
Symptom controller:Itrelaxes the airway muscles for up to 12 hours, helping to reduce the symptoms of asthma. Symptom controllers are only used by people taking preventer medicines.
A combination medicationcontains both a preventer and a symptom controller in one inhaler.

VISIT A DOCTOR IF: