Asthma is an illness characterized by inflammation of the airways, and a sensitivity of those airways to allergens and irritants. The intensity of symptoms does vary, both from person to person, and at different stages within an individual's life. They can range from early warning, mild, to severe. By developing an understanding of their own asthma symptoms, sufferers become better equipped to prevent severe episodes, as well as providing valuable information to their family in cases of emergencies.The so-called 'early warning' indicators of an asthma attack are not symptoms of the attack per se. What they do instead is signify that symptoms are going to start, so they allow asthmatics to be more prepared. This is especially valuable for parents of asthmatic children. The symptoms can include any of the following, though not all have to be present:* a change in breathing* tiredness* being moody, easily upset, or feeling sad* coughing or sneezing* itchy throat and watery eyes* dark circles under the eyes* having trouble sleeping and feeling restless or excitable* headachesBy the time asthma symptoms start to happen, the airways are physically affected. They become red and swollen, due to the inflammation of the tissue in the bronchial tubes. Consequently, the airways become constricted, making it difficult to breathe out, and causing wheezing. A person has to forcefully exhale and push the air out, hence the noise - and shortness of breath. The coughing of asthmatics relates to the fact that all that inflammation causes a build-up of mucous, which needs to be expelled to keep the airways open. Asthmatics may also feel tight in the chest when they are experiencing symptoms.When symptoms become severe, asthmatics need to be taken to the emergency department of their local hospital. People will feel a significant worsening of the above, as well as:* their shoulders may become hunched over in the effort to breathe* the size of their nostrils will increase with breathing* their skin may be tinged gray or blue* they may find it difficult to concentrate or talk* breathing could be shallow, or either faster or slower than it usually is.One of the less obvious dangers of severe asthma attacks is that carbon dioxide can accumulate in the blood. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that is usually expelled when we breathe out. If we can't properly breathe out, this cannot happen. Asthma treatment is multi-pronged, because the nature of the symptoms can lead to long term thickening of the airways that makes them unresponsive to the usual medications. Thus, treatment tries to prevent this damage, as well as reducing the hyper-reactivity of the airways themselves. Asthma symptoms can be severe, and that is something every asthmatic and their family has to be aware of. However, with a good treatment plan, and a good awareness of your own body, asthma symptoms can be managed well.References:1. Medicine Net2. National Jewish Center, Disease Information Prevent serious attacks from threatening your quality of life - find out what your limits are now. If you'd like to read more on asthma and cough, click here.
Category : General Medical: Asthma
ไม่มีความคิดเห็น:
แสดงความคิดเห็น