{"id":159,"date":"2021-10-11T05:32:41","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T05:32:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/an-easy-guide-to-understanding-asthma\/"},"modified":"2021-10-11T05:32:41","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T05:32:41","slug":"an-easy-guide-to-understanding-asthma","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/an-easy-guide-to-understanding-asthma\/","title":{"rendered":"An Easy Guide to Understanding Asthma"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Asthma is a chronic condition that affects the airways or bronchial tubes in the lungs that carry air inside and out of the lungs. It causes inflammation and narrowing of these airways.<\/p>\n<p>As a result, the air passages in the lungs become narrow, and the muscles get tightened around the small airways, restricting air supply.<\/p>\n<p>This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, wheezing, or a whistling sound when you breathe out or are short of breath.<\/p>\n<h2>Causes and Triggers<\/h2>\n<p>Breathing issues are caused by a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Certain conditions and environments may trigger asthmatic symptoms or make them worse.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the possible causes and triggers include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Respiratory infections like sinusitis, colds, pneumonia, and flu.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Allergens such as pollen, mould, animal dander, and dust mites.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Irritants in the air such as chemical fumes, strong odours (perfumes, cleaning solutions), and smoke.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exercises or increased body movements which may make breathing more difficult.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Changes in weather such as extremes in temperatures or humidity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Risk Factors<\/h2>\n<p>Things that may raise your risk of developing asthma or make asthma symptoms worse are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Family history and genes:<\/strong> Having a parent who has asthma, particularly the mother, raises the risk of the child developing it.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Ethnicity<\/strong>: Your ethnicity can also put you at a higher risk of getting asthma. For example, African-American people or Puerto Rican descent people are more vulnerable to asthma.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Smoke<\/strong>: Exposure to smoke in the womb or during early childhood.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Occupational Hazards:<\/strong> Occupations related to chemical irritants or industrial dust also raise the risk of developing asthma, termed occupational asthma.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People with other medical conditions like lung infections, allergies, and obesity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exposure to poor air quality due to pollution or allergens.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Signs and Symptoms<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People with asthma may experience symptoms such as:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Coughing, especially during the night or early in the morning<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wheezing or whistling sound when you breathe and exhale<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shortness of breath<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trouble while sleeping, caused by breathing issues<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chest tightness or pain and pressure in the chest<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, not every person with asthma experiences the same symptoms in the same way.<br \/>\nThe frequency of asthmatic signs and symptoms depends on how severe or intense the asthma is and whether you are exposed to allergens or not.<br \/>\nFor instance, some people may experience symptoms every day while others may experience them rarely.<br \/>\nMoreover, when asthma is well under control; a person may show fewer symptoms.<br \/>\nHowever, when the symptoms exacerbate, it can lead to an asthma attack. Also, uncontrolled asthma for a prolonged time can damage the airways in the lungs.<\/p>\n<h2>Diagnosis<\/h2>\n<p>A pulmonologist (specialist in allergy and immunology) will begin with a physical examination and inquiry about your symptoms and medical history.<\/p>\n<p>The following tests can be performed to determine whether you are asthmatic or not:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Spirometry Tests <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">measure how fast and how fast you blow out air.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Bronchoprovocation Tests <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">measure how your airways react to specific exposures. During this test, you will inhale different concentrations of allergens or medicines that may<br \/>\ntighten the muscles in your airways.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) Tests <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">measure how fast you can blow air out using maximum effort. This test can be done during spirometry or by breathing into a separate device such as a tube.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Fractional exhaled Nitric Oxide (FeNO) Test <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">measures levels of nitric oxide in your breath when you breathe out. High levels of nitric oxide may mean that your lungs are inflamed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Allergy skin or blood Tests <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">can tell your doctor which allergens cause a reaction in your immune system.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Treatment<\/h2>\n<p>Asthma cannot be cured but various treatments can ease your symptoms. Inhaled medications can control the infection and facilitate asthmatic people to enjoy a normal life.<br \/>\nTwo main types of inhalers include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Bronchodilators<\/b> such as salbutamol open the air passages and relieve asthmatic symptoms.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><b>Steroids<\/b> such as beclomethasone reduce inflammation in the air passages improving asthma<br \/>\nsymptoms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Prevention <\/b><\/h2>\n<p>The following strategies can help in preventing asthma from getting worse or causing asthma attacks:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Asthma action plan: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Asthma is an ongoing condition that needs regular monitoring and treatment. Follow the asthma action plan with medications for managing an asthma attack as laid out by your doctor.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Get Inoculated: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting the jab for influenza and pneumonia will prevent these conditions from triggering an asthma attack.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Avoid triggers: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify your triggers that have exacerbated asthma attacks in the past and steer clear of them.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Monitor breathing: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monitor your breathing regularly with a home peak flow meter because your lung functioning may decrease before your being aware of the symptoms.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Respond to alerts quickly: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stop any activity that may have triggered the attack and take your medication as instructed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Take prescribed medications: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follow your doctor\u2019s instructions on taking your asthma medications. Do not change your medications without consulting your doctor.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Take notice of inhaler use:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Talk to your doctor if you notice that you are using a quick-relief inhaler more often.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Taking preventive medication: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your doctor may prescribe medication for you to take daily. This medication may be used in addition to the one you use in case of an emergency.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Reduce tobacco exposure: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reducing your exposure to tobacco smoke is crucial for both primary prevention of asthma and disease management.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Many effective treatments can help reduce asthma symptoms. If you are experiencing the symptoms mentioned above, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yashodahealthcare.com\/book-an-appointment\/\">consult a doctor by connecting to our specialists<\/a>. Seek medical assistance right<br \/>\naway if you experience severe symptoms.<br \/>\nTo make sure you are getting the best treatment for your Asthma we have curated list of the best pulmonologists at Yashoda Hospital and Research Centre, Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yashodahealthcare.com\/doctor\/neerav-tyagi\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Dr. Neerav Tyagi is the best pulmonologist in Ghaziabad <\/b><\/a>with an experience of more than 29 years. He has expertise in tuberculosis, asthma, bronchiectasis, and pneumonia.<\/p>\n<p>He completed his MBBS. as a gold medalist from King George\u2019s Medical College and M.D. from King George\u2019s Medical University, Lucknow. He is the pioneer of bronchoscopy in Ghaziabad.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yashodahealthcare.com\/doctor\/brijesh-prajapat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Dr. Brijesh Prajapat <\/b><\/a>has abundant experience, having worked for more than 10 years with various organizations including PGIMS, Rohtak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Asthma is a chronic condition that affects the airways or bronchial tubes in the lungs that carry air inside and out of the lungs. It causes inflammation and narrowing of these airways. As a result, the air passages in the lungs become narrow, and the muscles get tightened around the small airways, restricting air supply&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[306],"tags":[307,308,58],"class_list":["post-159","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pulmonology","tag-dr-brijesh-prajapat","tag-dr-neerav-tyagi","tag-yashoda-hospital-research-centre"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=159"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/159\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=159"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=159"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yashodahealthcare.com\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=159"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}