Subscribe
Asthma
How to test for asthma?
Asthma is fully referred to as bronchial asthma. It is primarily due to the presence of inflammatory cells in the airways over a long period of time. These inflammatory cells render the trachea highly reactive. With this hyperreactivity, patients often experience wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, which typically occur in the early morning and at night. These symptoms can generally be alleviated with or without medication, and if a patient typically exhibits these symptoms, an asthma diagnosis can essentially be made. However, if the symptoms are atypical, such as having only coughing or wheezing, it may be necessary to perform some pulmonary function tests, chest X-rays, ultrasounds, or electrocardiograms on the patient to rule out other diseases that could cause wheezing and coughing. Therefore, doctors will arrange for these tests based on the patient's symptoms.
What are the medications for asthma?
Asthma, also known as bronchial asthma, is a chronic inflammatory lung disease involving various types of granulocytes. The main symptoms exhibited by patients are wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. These symptoms typically occur in the early morning or at night. Currently, the medications used to treat asthma primarily include local inhalants and oral medications. The inhalants generally consist of a combination formulation of long-acting bronchodilators and corticosteroids. Additionally, oral medications may include leukotriene receptor antagonists and histamine receptor antagonists. (The use of these medications should be under the guidance of a doctor.)
What should I do about asthma?
The full name of asthma is bronchial asthma, which is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs involving various inflammatory cells. The main symptoms of asthma include wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, which typically occur in the early morning and at night. These symptoms can subside on their own through medication treatment or even without medication. Thus, by diagnosing asthma, it is understood that asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. After contracting this disease, the main treatment involves inhaling medications for asthma to control its symptoms. Additionally, if the asthma is caused by an allergic condition, such as an allergy to certain foods or airborne allergens like pollen and dust mites, it is advisable to first avoid these allergens to ensure a clean air environment, and then control or eliminate the symptoms with medication treatment. (Please use medication under the guidance of a professional doctor.)
Symptoms of asthma
Asthma is a common respiratory disease. What are the symptoms after the onset of asthma? Typically, asthma patients exhibit characteristic symptoms, including episodic chest tightness, wheezing, and difficulty breathing, often accompanied by a wheezing sound. The breathing difficulty usually manifests as difficulty exhaling. However, some asthma patients show atypical symptoms, possibly presenting only with coughing or chest tightness, known as cough-variant asthma.
Is variant asthma allergic asthma?
Cough-variant asthma is not allergic asthma, although it is a type of allergic asthma. Generally speaking, there is a certain distinction between cough-variant asthma and allergic asthma. Clinically, cough-variant asthma is a special type of asthma, where the main symptom exhibited by patients is an irritative dry cough, typically quite severe, without other significant clinical discomforts. In contrast, patients with allergic asthma usually exhibit symptoms such as sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes, and itchy nose before the onset, triggered by exposure to certain allergens. Cough-variant asthma does not have these preliminary signs, marking a clear difference from allergic asthma.
Asthma: What to Avoid
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways involving various types of cells and cellular components, primarily eosinophils. This eosinophil-dominated inflammation is generally related to allergies. Substances that can trigger airway allergies include common allergens such as pet dander, pollen, dust mites, and mold. Therefore, it is generally recommended that individuals with asthma should avoid contact with these substances. Additionally, during the flu season, it is important to prevent colds by wearing masks to avoid viral infections.
Can people with asthma swim?
Asthma sufferers can swim. In fact, swimming is a very beneficial form of exercise for respiratory diseases. It can enhance the respiratory tract's ability to resist diseases and increase lung function. Asthma is an allergic reaction triggered by exposure to allergens, causing bronchial smooth muscle contraction, and patients often exhibit symptoms like coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Swimming can help strengthen the body's resistance and thus reduce the occurrence of asthma attacks. However, some patients may be allergic to chlorine-based disinfectants. When swimming, it is important to be aware of whether the water contains an excessive amount of chlorine disinfectant and whether the water quality is clean, as this could also trigger an acute asthmatic attack.
What are the symptoms of asthma?
Asthma is a chronic airway disease that clinically manifests as noticeable chest tightness and shortness of breath during acute attacks, especially when exposed to allergens such as cold air, pollen, animal dander, or consuming foods that are likely to cause allergies, such as eggs, milk, and seafood. This leads to high reactivity of the airways, causing spasms, and thus a range of clinical symptoms. In some patients, typical wheezing sounds can also be heard in the lungs. Asthma is a chronic disease that cannot be completely cured. During acute attacks, it is recommended to quickly remove oneself from allergens and actively administer antispasmodic and asthma-relieving medications to significantly improve symptoms of chest tightness and shortness of breath.
What should people with asthma avoid eating?
If you have asthma, it is essential to pay attention to your diet and eat bland foods. Avoid spicy, greasy, cold, and irritating foods such as chili peppers, black pepper, onions, ginger, and garlic. These should be strictly avoided. Also, be cautious with carbonated drinks and alcoholic beverages. Additionally, foods like mangoes or items like shrimp, crabs, seafood, and any allergy-triggering foods should ideally not be consumed. Furthermore, it is advised to identify the underlying cause of asthma and then treat it accordingly. If allergies are causing the asthma, antiallergenic medication should be taken, along with asthma medication to treat and alleviate symptoms. Maintain a light diet, drink plenty of water, promote excretion, and enhance your immune system. Also, avoid coffee, strong tea, alcoholic beverages, fried and grilled foods, and pickled products.
Causes of asthma
Asthma is a common respiratory disease, with typical symptoms including episodic coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and difficulty breathing, among others. The exact causes of asthma are not entirely clear at present, but it is generally believed to be related to genetic factors and environmental factors. Genetically, the closer the familial relation to an asthma patient, the greater the likelihood of developing the disease. Environmentally, elements such as allergens, pollen, dust mites, infections from certain bacteria or viruses, certain seafood, and medications, among others, can all trigger asthma attacks.