The main symptom of asthma is shortness of breath that can occur suddenly in individuals of any age, but asthma is often diagnosed in childhood although it persists into adulthood. Living with a chronic illness such as asthma requires a lot of acceptance and dedication to live well with the disease, and is often a time consuming and demanding process. Here are some tips you can use to learn how to live with a disease that has no cure.
The symptom of shortness of breath in adults and the elderly is usually not caused by asthma, but by other situations, such as heart failure, for example. See more in: Symptoms of heart failure.
The signs and symptoms of asthma are:
- Shortness of breath and feeling that the air does not reach the lungs;
- Cough especially at night;
- Chiar or characteristic noise when breathing.
Symptoms of asthma usually arise when the individual is exposed to cold, smoke, strong odors, perfumes, dust mites or fungi, being more frequent in the morning or at night when the subject goes to bed.
In addition, it can also appear or worsen when doing intense physical exercise, like running, for example. Learn more in: Exercise-induced asthma.
Symptoms in the baby
The symptoms of asthma in the baby are the same as the adult, but the baby may demonstrate differently. Your baby can have:
- Difficulty breathing and crying because of it;
- You may have a cough with little phlegm, especially at night.
When the baby has these symptoms parents can lean their ears on the baby's chest or back to check for any noise that may be similar to the cat's breathing and then tell the pediatrician to make the diagnosis and indicate the appropriate treatment . Learn more at: Asthma Symptoms in Baby.
How is the diagnosis made?
The diagnosis is made by the physician through the observation of the symptoms and can be confirmed by pulmonary auscultation and by examinations such as spirometry and bronchial provocation tests, where the doctor tries to trigger an asthma attack and offers the asthma remedy to check if the symptoms disappear after use.
Learn more about exams to diagnose asthma.
What to do in the crisis
What is recommended to do in the asthma crisis is:
- Offer the asthma remedy to the person, if possible;
- Put the person sitting leaning forward for a few minutes;
- Call an ambulance or take you to the hospital if the symptoms do not go away.
During an asthma attack one must act quickly because it can be fatal. See tips on avoiding asthma attacks.
Treatment
Asthma is a lifelong treatment that consists of using inhaled medications and avoiding contact with agents that can trigger an asthma attack, such as contact with animals, carpets, curtains, dust, very moist and moldy places., for example.
The asthma medicine should be used at the dose recommended by the doctor and whenever necessary. Since asthma has no cure, the asthmatic should use the "asthma bomb" daily, for life.
Regular physical exercise is also indicated for the treatment and control of asthma because it improves the cardiac and respiratory capacity of the individual. Swimming is a good exercise for asthma because it strengthens the respiratory muscles, however, all sports practice is indicated and, therefore, the asthmatic can choose the one he likes best.
Feeding can also help relieve asthma attacks. See how:
