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Asthma
Asthma cough symptoms
Asthma is a chronic airway inflammation involving multiple inflammatory cells. After being diagnosed with asthma, a patient may exhibit airway hyperresponsiveness. Upon exposure to allergens or cold stimuli, the patient often experiences wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. These coughing symptoms generally worsen during the early morning and night, especially after exposure to odors or cold air, which can easily trigger coughing. The cough is primarily dry, without phlegm or with a small amount of white sticky phlegm, accompanied by symptoms like nasal itchiness, throat itchiness, and itchiness in the voice box. Treatment can involve the use of bronchial asthma medications or warm water, which can also lead to improvement. This describes some unique aspects of cough-variant asthma.
What department should I go to for asthma?
What department should you visit for asthma? First, we need to clarify the definition of asthma. The term "asthma" most commonly refers to bronchial asthma, but also to cardiac asthma. Starting with bronchial asthma, it is a respiratory system disease, and the most appropriate department to visit is the Department of Respiratory Medicine. Of course, in the case of an acute attack of bronchial asthma, if the condition of the patient is very severe, then they may choose to visit the emergency department. Additionally, in some areas where there is no Department of Respiratory Medicine available, such as in rural areas or community health centers, patients can only visit a general internal medicine department. As for cardiac asthma, it is a concept that is gradually being phased out. Cardiac asthma, as the name suggests, is associated with cardiovascular system diseases. Under these circumstances, the most fitting department to visit is the Department of Cardiology. Of course, if the patient's condition is critical, then the most suitable choice is still the emergency department, where emergency physicians will decide how to handle the patient's condition based on their specific medical needs.
Do people with asthma cough?
The asthma commonly referred to is bronchial asthma, which is primarily characterized by recurrent episodes of breathing difficulty. This difficulty in breathing is mainly manifested as chest tightness and shortness of breath. Additionally, asthma is often triggered by upper respiratory tract infections. Therefore, most asthma patients experience coughing and expectoration during acute attacks. There is also a special type of asthma known as cough variant asthma, which, as the name suggests, is primarily characterized by coughing. This type of cough is generally dry with little to no sputum, or it involves a small amount of mucous sputum. The coughing can occur during the day but is generally more pronounced at night.
Can asthma be cured?
Patients with bronchial asthma, if treated properly, can be cured. Although the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma is not very clear at present, it is currently believed that bronchial asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways involving multiple cells. This chronic inflammation leads to increased airway reactivity, manifesting as reversible airflow limitation. It is different from chronic bronchitis, which involves irreversible airflow limitation. Therefore, through proper treatment, the condition can be improved, controlled, and cured. Patients should regularly and properly use their medications, including inhaled corticosteroids such as budesonide, taken twice daily. It should be used for more than three months before any reduction in dosage can be considered. The medication can be stopped only if no asthma occurs for a year.
Can people with asthma run?
Patients with asthma are advised not to run, whether it is cardiac asthma or bronchial asthma, as running is considered a vigorous exercise. Running consumes a significant amount of body heat, which could potentially lower the patient's resistance to illness, leading to other symptoms and worsening the condition. Therefore, it is recommended to avoid running and instead engage in gentler aerobic exercises, such as Tai Chi, Tai Chi sword, or yoga. These exercises can help enhance physical fitness and improve resistance, aiding in disease recovery. Additionally, it is important to maintain a light diet, avoiding spicy, greasy, cold, and irritating foods, drink plenty of water to promote excretion, and avoid exposure to cold air to prevent asthma symptoms from worsening.
How is asthma treated?
Asthma generally requires long-term anti-inflammatory treatment, which primarily involves the use of corticosteroid medications to alleviate symptoms. Additionally, medications that dilate the bronchial tubes can be used to relieve symptoms. For allergic asthma, it is advisable for patients to identify and avoid allergens, while also taking anti-allergy medications to alleviate symptoms. Preventative medication to control attacks is also recommended. Attention should be paid to regulating indoor temperatures to prevent colds, ensuring warmth, and avoiding exposure to cold winds. Furthermore, indoor temperatures in winter should not be too high to avoid large temperature differences with the outside, which can lead to colds and decrease the chances of influenza infection. Additionally, if symptoms of coughing and asthma are severe, medications to stop coughing and relieve asthma should be taken to alleviate symptoms.
Can people with asthma smoke?
Asthma patients should certainly not smoke. Additionally, attention should be paid to dietary and hygiene habits, avoiding foods such as seafood that may trigger allergies. Smoking and alcohol should be abstained from, and water intake should be increased. Exposure to irritating chemical gases should also be avoided. Asthma is directly related to genetic factors and an individual's allergic constitution. It is necessary to strengthen exercise, boost immune capabilities, and prevent colds, especially in the spring when it is advisable to avoid going out to prevent contact with pollen that could trigger an asthma attack.
What should I do for asthma cough?
If a patient has asthma accompanied by coughing, it is advisable to receive treatment under a doctor’s guidance through nebulizer inhalation to alleviate symptoms, or take some antitussive and asthma-relieving medications. In daily life, one should also ensure ample rest, avoid vigorous exercise and heavy physical work, and it is best to identify the cause of the illness under a doctor's guidance for symptomatic treatment. It is recommended to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables to supplement vitamins and improve one's immunity. Additionally, if the coughing is severe, drinking some Fritillaria and pear syrup, which also helps moisten the lungs and relieve cough and asthma, may be appropriate. Therefore, it is advised to maintain a relaxed mood, avoid excessive stress, and actively cooperate with treatment for symptom recovery.
Asthma attack symptoms
The most common manifestation of an asthma attack is inspiratory difficulty breathing, occurring repeatedly. This respiratory difficulty can present as sitting up to breathe, dry cough, and may include white frothy sputum. Some patients, due to severe hypoxia, may develop cyanosis. Besides these typical symptoms, some patients may have cough-variant asthma or chest tightness-variant asthma. Cough-variant asthma can sometimes involve only coughing, which is mostly severe, dry, and more noticeable at night, unresponsive to antibiotic treatment. Additionally, there is a type of asthma characterized by chest tightness, primarily presenting as chest discomfort, and some patients may also experience nausea or other discomforts.
Asthma is not contagious.
It should be correctly recognized that asthma is an autoimmune disease associated with allergic constitution and genetic factors. It is not caused by a substantial pathogenic bacterial infection and generally is not contagious. Therefore, asthma is not contagious. We should have a correct understanding of this disease. During an acute exacerbation, one could choose corticosteroid drugs, as well as antiallergic medications. Symptomatic treatments that relieve asthma symptoms and using oxygen to alleviate hypoxia are also options.