What bronchial asthma really means
Actually, there is no difference between bronchial asthma and what is
normally referred to as asthma. The former is just an old name for the disease.
The name came about because asthma involves inflammation of the bronchial tubes.
These tubes become constricted and results in breathing difficulties.
Victims of bronchial asthma develop symptoms of the disease at certain times while remaining disease-free at other times. When they have an attack, they exhibit symptoms like shortness of breath and wheezing. In some patients, there are no acute asthma attacks and the only symptom may be a cough at night. This may remain unnoticed for years.
An asthma attack can be fatal. Alarmingly, the incidence of fatal attacks has risen in urban areas, particularly among children.
During the last quarter-century, the incidence of bronchial asthma has increased significantly from around three percent to almost eight percent of the population. The increase is much sharper in the inner cities. The reasons are not hard to find - inner cities have excessive crowding and poor environmental conditions. Common allergens and asthma triggers like cigarette smoke, dust mites and cockroach parts are present in greater quantities.
Tackling Bronchial Asthma
There are several components to tackling bronchial asthma. They include preventive medication, rescue medication, environmental management, education about asthma and regular monitoring.
When someone is diagnosed with bronchial asthma, one of the first things the doctor will do is to explain to the patient what asthma is all about, what signs and symptoms to watch out for and how to take medication (particularly the rescue inhaler). He will also explain how the patient himself can monitor his condition. He may also ask the patient to regularly take peak flow meter measurements. The idea is to become aware of a developing attack before it reaches a critical stage.
Preventive medication is an important element of bronchial asthma control. The doctor may prescribe inhaled or oral corticosteroids. Asthma is associated with chronic inflammation - this medication helps to control inflammation.
Rescue medication - usually a bronchodilator - is used when there is an attack. As the name implies, a bronchodilator expands the bronchial passages making it easier to breathe. It also relaxes the muscles around the bronchi.
Bronchodilators are commonly delivered through an inhaler. When the plunger on an inhaler is depressed, it delivers a measured dose of medication in the form of a fine mist. This is inhaled though the mouth directly into the lungs where it does its work. Asthma-prone persons usually carry an inhaler with them at all times.
An asthma patient must monitor his or her condition continually. In many cases, this means paying attention to body signals. Patients need to watch out if they are getting out of breath more often, or if they are taking longer to recover from exertions, for example.
Sometimes, the doctor may prescribe using a peak flow meter. This instrument measures the person's ability to breathe. Daily readings using a peak flow meter may be necessary. Monitoring is important because it tells the doctor if the current treatment plan is working. If it isn't, he will need to modify it.
Lastly, managing the environment is a critical component of dealing with bronchial asthma. This means removing allergens and asthma triggers from the environment or avoiding exposure to such triggers. Affected persons may need to remove carpeting, heavy upholstery, avoid keeping pets in the house and so on. The doctor will be able to provide specific advice based on what triggers the symptoms in each patient.
With the right treatment plan, bronchial asthma can be controlled well in most cases.