Fast Facts: Asthma for Patients and their Supporters

J. Harrington

Description

Asthma is a long-term condition that reduces the amount of air flowing in and out of the lungs. Whether your symptoms are mild, difficult-to-control or severe, it is important to be in control of your asthma. The information in this booklet is designed to help you and your family better understand the condition, what triggers it and how to treat it. It includes clear instructions for good inhaler technique and emphasizes the importance of having an Asthma Action Plan in place so that you know: • when and how often to take your treatment • how to tell if your symptoms are getting worse • what to do when your symptoms get worse. With simple clear illustrations, explanation of medical terms and space to write down the questions you want to ask your doctor or nurse, this resource will help you take control of your asthma. Contents: • What is asthma? • What causes asthma? • What are the symptoms of asthma? • What are the tests for asthma? • What medications are used to treat asthma? • Inhalers and spacers • Your Asthma Action Plan • How do I prevent an asthma attack? • How do I manage an asthma attack? • Difficult-to-control asthma • Severe asthma • Treatment of severe asthma • Exercise-induced asthma • Occupational asthma • Asthma in older people • Asthma in pregnancy • Asthma in children

Informations

• Publié par: S. Karger AG
• Date de parution: 28 janvier 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781912776658
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

First, the facts ...

Asthma is a chronic (long-term) condition in which your airways become inflamed and swollen, often with too much mucus production. This reduces the amount of air flowing in and out of your lungs.
Asthma is common in children, but you can develop it at any age.
The main symptoms of asthma are wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. These symptoms may occur day to day, with episodes of sudden worsening, often after exposure to a trigger such as pollen, pet fur, exercise or changes in the weather.
It is important to be in control of your asthma. Uncontrolled asthma can be extremely debilitating; a severe attack can lead to death.
Asthma is not a curable disease but there are many successful treatments that control the symptoms, even if you have difficult-to-control or severe asthma.

Equip yourself with simple strategies to take control of your asthma. Let this booklet help you ask the right questions and get the answers and support you need.

My main concerns
Make a note of anything you want to discuss with your doctor here.
Contents
What is asthma?
What causes asthma?
What are the symptoms of asthma?
What are the tests for asthma?
What medications are used to treat asthma?
Inhalers and spacers
Your Asthma Action Plan
How do I prevent an asthma attack?
How do I manage an asthma attack?
Severe asthma
Treatment of severe asthma
How can I help myself?
Exercise-induced asthma
Occupational asthma
Asthma in pregnancy
Asthma in children
Useful online resources
Glossary
What is asthma?
Understanding your airways
Asthma affects breathing tubes (airways) called bronchioles and bronchi that run from your windpipe to your lungs. These airways supply air to tiny fragile sacs called alveoli.

The airways are complicated structures made up of several layers.
Each tube is lined by cells that have fine hairs (cilia) that keep the airway clean.


In asthma, the airways become narrower because:
the muscle around the airways tightens
the lining of the airways become inflamed and swollen
mucus builds up in the airway.
In addition, air gets trapped in the alveoli, stopping the proper exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
As a result, it becomes more difficult to breathe in and out, and you will experience symptoms such as chest tightness, wheezing or coughing.

TERMINOLOGY TIP
Bronchi are the large airways that connect your windpipe to your lungs.
Bronchioles are smaller airways in the lungs that branch from the bronchi.
Alveoli are the tiny air-filled sacs at the end of the bronchi where gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) move between the lungs and the blood.
Why me?
Asthma can develop at any age. The causes of asthma vary from person to person and depend on your genes, level of immunity, physical development and interactions with the environment.
Different types of asthma
Childhood asthma is the most common type of asthma. It is often caused by allergies or exposure to viruses. Symptoms resolve in over two-thirds of children as they grow older.
Adolescent- and adult-onset asthma can develop after a severe viral illness or from an allergy.
Occupational asthma is triggered by certain exposures in the workplace (for example, dust or chemicals).
Seasonal asthma improves or worsens as the seasons change. Examples of triggers are cold weather and different types of pollen.
Exercise-induced asthma occurs during and after exercise.
Catamenial (or perimenstrual) asthma worsens around the time of a woman s period.
Severity of asthma
Your doctor will grade your asthma as mild, moderate or severe, depending on how bad your symptoms are and the level of treatment you require. Asthma with a lot of symptoms and/or very serious attacks or worsening symptoms is often described as difficult to control or severe.

Ask your doctor
What sort of asthma do I have?
What causes asthma?
The exact cause of asthma is unknown, but there are a number of risk factors that increase the likelihood of asthma developing. They are different from the triggers that bring on an asthma attack or cause asthma to worsen (see pages 7-10 ).

Risk factors
More than one risk factor is usually needed for asthma to develop.
Genes. No single gene causes asthma, but if one of your parents has asthma you have a 25% (1 in 4) chance of developing it; this rises to 50% (a 1 in 2 chance) if both of your parents have asthma.
Environmental exposures. People with allergies have an increased risk of developing asthma. A person with multiple allergies, such as hayfever and eczema, is likely to have asthma too. This is known as atopy: 90% of children and 70% of adults with asthma are atopic. You can become allergic through exposure to allergens such as pollens.
Exposure to chemicals or dust is a common cause of asthma in adults. Air pollution is another risk factor - children who live near busy roads are more likely to develop asthma.
Immunity. Some viral and bacterial infections are linked to the development of asthma. On the other hand, some friendly viruses and bacteria (microbes) that you collect in your gut and lungs in the first few years of life may prevent asthma from developing. This is called your microbiome.

Children who grow up on farms are less likely to develop asthma and allergies than the rest of the population. In cleaner urban areas, a lack of childhood exposure to friendly microbes may result in a weaker immune system.
Early development. A pregnant woman with poorly controlled asthma is more likely to have a child who develops asthma than a woman whose asthma is well controlled throughout pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy also increases the chances of the child developing asthma. Being born early can also increase the likelihood of developing asthma: babies born before 37 weeks are 50% more likely to develop asthma.
Breastfeeding is probably important too. Not all researchers agree on this, but several studies have shown that children who are breastfed up to 6 months of age are less likely to develop asthma.
Triggers
Triggers do not cause asthma to develop, but they can make the symptoms of asthma worse or cause an asthma attack.
Triggers are any substance or physical irritant that bring on asthma symptoms. Some bring on symptoms rapidly, but once the trigger is removed the symptoms tend to resolve.

My triggers
Mark or make a note of the triggers that worsen your asthma and discuss these with your doctor.
Allergens
Irritants
Non-allergen/irritant
Molds
Cigarette smoke
Exercise
Animal dander
Cold air
Drugs
Dust mites
High humidity
Infection
Foods
Temperature change

Pollens
Aerosol sprays

Latex
Paint / diesel fumes
Other trigger(s) not listed above:
It is important you identify the triggers that affect you, as knowing your triggers will help you and your doctor understand the type of asthma you have (for example, allergic asthma).
Once you know what your triggers are you can try to reduce your contact with them (although some triggers are hard to avoid). This will reduce your risk of attacks and help you to manage your asthma better.

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Triggers cause asthma to develop. True or False?
Answer: False. Triggers worsen symptoms or cause asthma attacks.
Allergens can be a risk factor for asthma as well as a trigger (see pages 5-7 ). As triggers, they often cause serious symptoms. If you think you may be allergic to something, talk to your doctor about allergy skin testing (see page 17 ).
Allergen What you can do
Molds
Common in areas where moisture builds up