ASTHMA- clearly explained.

WHAT MOST PEOPLE THINK ABOUT ASTHMA

"It is a medical condition that makes people coughs and in the process not to breath very well

BUT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS IN ASTHMA

1. Take in a deep breath.
2. Now breath out but not completely (breath out partially, do not expel all the air in your lungs)
3. Take in another deep breath
4. Breath out partially again
5. Another deep breath
6. On and on...

Now this is somewhat close to what an asthmatic patient goes through during an attack

WHAT MAKES THEM FEEL THIS WAY OR WHY DO THEY FEEL THIS WAY?

We fill our lungs with air and expel the air each time we breathe in and out, the air passing in through our nostrils is conducted to our lungs by some pipe-like airway structures. The lumen of these pipe-like structures are kept patent in the normal healthy state to allow free passage of into and out of the lung. In a person with asthma, these airway passages reacts to some foreign substances (which everyone else around won't react to) and respond to their presence by narrowing the caliber of their lumen thereby making it very difficult for air to get into and out of their lung. This narrowing is actually brought about by tightening of the muscles within the wall of the lower airways pipes.

In addition to this, their airway also respond to these irritants by being inflamed and producing some sticky mucus which will further occlude the airway lumen. 

All these would make breathing very difficult and attempt to force air through this narrowed lumen may produce a whistling sound that doctors called a wheeze.
They might cough recurrently in desperate bid to clear the airway, and may often time (recurrently) complain of chest pain and tightness.

WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT COULD CAUSE AN ATTACK IN AN ASTHMATIC
Doctors calls them trigger factors and the common ones are listed bellow;

When running a fever
When they takes cold water
When they hears a too good or a very bad news
When exposed to dust or in a dusty environment
When walking under trees, in a grassy or flowery area
When playing with pets (cats, dog)
When exercising.

PREVENTION

HOUSING CONDITION

Rugs are not to be used in their rooms because they retain dusts and releases dust when they are being cleaned. Floor tiles or floor boards are way better because they do not retain dust and are easy to clean.
Plastic blinds are also preferred to cotton for the same reason.

Rooms must be well ventilated

Avoid being around where people smoke

EXERCISE
Exercise like swimming has been proven to improve the condition, If the associated trigger is not exercise.

IDENTIFY AND AVOID TRIGGERS
Identifying and avoiding the trigger is the best approach to preventing frequent attack.


TREATMENT
present to a hospital.
You will be evaluated base on

• For how long it has been?
• How frequently do you have attacks (Days, weeks) 

Supplying the right answers to these questions would go a long way in instituting and individualizing a suitable treatment plan for you.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE A KNOWN ASTHMATIC AROUND YOU
Be on the look out for them because when they have attacks;

• They might be too breathless to talk owing to rapid breathing and coughing,
• They might be sweating,
• And their lips and nail might be turning bluish.

All these signs are life threatening. Call around for help and check around to see if s/he has his or her inhaler around. shake the canister and give 4 puffs (wait for 1 minute after every puff before administering the next puff)  in his of her mouth ensuring that the mouthpiece of the inhaler is completely sealed by the patient's lip. Ask him or her to first breathe out, administer the puff when s/he is breathing in and tell him or her to hold breathe for a few seconds and then continue breathing. Get him or her to the nearest hospital as soon as help arrives.

CONCLUSION
Asthmatic attack is NOT a pleasant experience and could be life threatening if it persist. Good News is that it can be PREVENTED and ADEQUATELY MANAGED to a point that the number of attacks would be reduced to the rarest minimum...through your cooperation with your Doctor.