Bronchial asthma auscultation characteristics

Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
Updated on September 15, 2024
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During a recurrence of bronchial asthma, symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing occur. During an attack, the patient's chest often appears hyperinflated. Upon auscultation, scattered or diffuse wheezing sounds can be heard, primarily during expiration, and the expiration phase is also prolonged. However, in some severe asthma cases, wheezing sounds may not be present, a condition referred to as "silent chest," which should be noted. If an asthma attack cannot be relieved, it is important to seek medical attention promptly for management by a doctor.

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Can people with bronchial asthma eat crab?

Patients with bronchial asthma are not absolutely prohibited from eating crabs, but they should be cautious when doing so. Those with bronchial asthma might be allergic to certain foods, potentially triggering an acute asthma attack, or even severe asthma due to food allergies, which could be life-threatening. Seafood is one of the most common triggers for such allergies. Therefore, it is generally advised for patients with bronchial asthma to avoid seafood. Additionally, foods like fish, shrimp, and crabs can also cause allergies. Thus, patients with bronchial asthma need to be cautious when eating crabs, especially if they have never eaten them before. If they do eat crabs, it should be tried in small amounts. If symptoms such as rash, itchy skin, coughing or chest tightness occur during the consumption of crabs, they should immediately stop eating and, if necessary, appropriate medication should be administered.

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What are the complications of bronchial asthma?

The complications of bronchial asthma are divided into acute and chronic complications. Acute complications, which occur during a severe asthma attack, mainly include pneumothorax, mediastinal emphysema, severe hypoxia, respiratory failure, leading to severe arrhythmias, electrolyte disturbances, and in severe cases, coma and death. Chronic complications are mainly due to chronic changes in bronchial asthma leading to airway remodeling, chronic airway inflammation, and chronic narrowing. The complications at this stage mainly include chronic respiratory failure and pulmonary heart disease.

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Bronchial asthma X-ray manifestations

Bronchial asthma is primarily caused by inflammation in the airways due to various inflammatory cells, leading to the narrowing and spasm of the bronchi. This impedes the effective expulsion of gases from the lungs through the bronchi, resulting in a disease characterized by symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing. In patients with bronchial asthma, because of a large amount of gas remaining in the lungs, X-ray manifestations primarily include sparse lung markings, increased translucency, as well as some signs of widened intercostal spaces and lowered diaphragm. Generally, these signs are not specific and cannot be solely relied upon to diagnose or exclude bronchial asthma. It is also necessary to consider the patient's medical history and lung function tests for a comprehensive assessment.

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Is it okay to take Chinese medicine for bronchial asthma?

Bronchial asthma can be treated with traditional Chinese medicine, but it is definitely not feasible to treat bronchial asthma only with Chinese medicine without Western medicine. Modern medicine still primarily uses Western medicine, which is the mainstream. Traditional Chinese medicine serves as an auxiliary treatment. Bronchial asthma is a recurrent disease that needs standardized treatment to be controlled. Currently, many unscrupulous businesses are exploiting the banner of traditional Chinese medicine or some ancestral secret formulas to provide non-standard treatments to patients with bronchial asthma, which may contain corticosteroids. Long-term oral intake of their herbal medicines might control bronchial asthma in the short term, but such long-term treatments are definitely non-standard and will lead to future difficulties in controlling the asthma. Therefore, patients with bronchial asthma must receive standardized Western medical treatment and can use traditional Chinese medicine as an auxiliary treatment, but it must be provided by a formal hospital.