Asthma: symptoms, causes, remedies and how to recognize it

Asthma is a generally reversible chronic inflammatory disease due to an obstruction of the bronchi. What are the symptoms and what are the remedies.

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THEasthma is a generally reversible chronic inflammatory disease due to a obstruction of the bronchi, often after sensitization by allergens. There are cases in which the obstruction is not reversible. But what causes asthma? And what are the symptoms and which i remedies?

Asthma is essentially divided into two forms: one "allergic”, If caused by an allergen that is able to manifest itself only sometimes; the other one "bronchial”, If caused by various ailments. The severity is more or less stable over time, so little is seen in mild forms of asthma that lead to severe asthma.

The global asthma rate increased significantly between 1960 and 2008 (Source: The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology) and has stabilized in the developed world since the mid-90s with recent increases especially in developing countries. .

Asthma it can appear at any age, but the peak of incidence is recorded around 3 years. In pediatric age, males are twice as susceptible to it as females, while there are no significant differences in adults.

Index

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways and is characterized by a real spasm affecting the bronchi. The asthmatic person suffers from aauthentic difficulty in breathing, the so-called "dyspnea".

Asthma is basically caused byobstruction, usually reversible, of the bronchi, due to ainflammation lower airways. That is, if there is an inflammatory process in place, the bronchi contract, fill with fluid and produce excess mucus, thus making the spaces available for air circulation smaller.

From here, you have it shortness or difficulty in breathing and coughing, sometimes shoal and sometimes more catarrhal, as well as wheezing (the classic "whistle") And a sense of chest tightness. Technically, during an asthma attack, the mucous membrane of the bronchial branches of reduced size and that relating to the pulmonary bronchioles becomes much thicker, while the smooth muscle of the bronchi contracts and here is that the air has less space to pass.

Exacerbations can also be life threatening and need to be treated over time, under constant specialist supervision.

Asthma: symptoms, causes, remedies and how to recognize it

In addition, many asthma patients are sensitive to more than one allergen, for which the asthmatic disease can be exacerbated when the patient comes into contact with those certain respiratory allergens. Finally, asthma often worsens in the hours of night rest.

Causes of asthma

If during the thirties and fifties, asthma was counted among the "seven psychosomatic diseases"So much so that his treatment was often based on psychoanalysis, many steps forward have been steps and today they tend mostly to attributing environmental factors (mites, animal derivatives, molds, but also smog and other causes) and genetic factors to asthma. Among the latter, we find first and foremost theatopy, that particular genetic predisposition for which the organism produces too high a quantity of IgE to balance exposure to allergens.

Specifically, the causes of an asthmatic disease are:

genetic factors and atopy, and therefore an asthmatic familiarity
nonspecific bronchial hyperreactivity, that is the particular sensitivity of the bronchi to respond to certain stimuli (dust, cold air, dry air) with a bronchospasm
allergens, substances capable of sensitizing the patient and then triggering allergic reactions. The allergens most often responsible for asthma attacks, especially in children, are house dust mites, animal allergens (cat and dog), pollen, many food allergens and some microscopic fungi.
respiratory infections, if you already have a family predisposition to get sick, asthma can start even after a viral infection of the airways
low birth weight, which can be among the factors that favor the development of bronchial asthma
air pollution, according to research, it is the main cause of the increase in asthma cases in recent years
cigarettes, smoking is the most common cause of asthma in the home
gastroesophageal reflux
food additives, such as sulphites
cold and low temperatures
irritants, such as paints
emotional and physical stress

There are also situations in which an asthmatic episode can be encountered in the course of a prolonged laugh or intense crying.

READ also: ASTHMA AND CHILDREN: THE FAULT IS SMOG

Asthma symptoms

Il symptom of asthma the most widespread is undoubtedly the dry cough or that caused by phlegm in the throat. Other very common symptoms are difficulty in breathing it's a noticeable tightness in the chest. During the exhalation phase, a typical hissing sound can be recognized with particular ease. These are symptoms that can vary greatly during the day, but appear more frequently during the night or upon awakening.

To recap, the symptoms of asthma are:

difficulty in breathing or wheezing (wheezing, shortness of breath)
cough, dry or mucus
stuffy nose or repeated sneezing
wheezing
chest tightness

Asthma: symptoms, causes, remedies and how to recognize it

Asthma Diagnosis and How to Recognize It

Once these symptoms occur, it is good to contact your doctor to make an accurate assessment and hypothesize an asthmatic pathology. Generally it is the pulmonologist specialist who carries out the necessary investigations and a first anamnesis, also noting the picture of bronchial obstruction (bronchospasm).

If necessary, we will proceed with one of these tests:

spirometry, which allows you to evaluate certain respiratory parameters
allergy tests
test with methacholine, with which non-specific bronchial hyperreactivity occurs
chest x-ray
gastroscopy, important if gastroesophageal reflux is suspected

Asthma remedies and prophylaxis

Asthma is a chronic disease and as such must be followed over time without ever stopping. In the presence of asthma, in fact, a therapy should never be suspended, even if the symptoms seem to regress.

Since it is a pathology subject to alternating asymptomatic phases and exacerbations, it is sometimes mistakenly thought to "self-suspend" the therapy or to follow it in one's own way. Nothing more wrong. An asthmatic crisis is determined by the reduction of the caliber of the bronchi, which causes a reduced supply of oxygen to the various tissues: it goes without saying that, every time this happens, our body suffers damage that is added to the previous one, expanding symptoms and aggravating the disease.

La nucleoside of asthma is based on the use of:

"reliever" medications, to be taken only in the face of a real need (i beta2 agonists)
"background" anti-asthma drugs, to be taken relentlessly to keep the disease under control

It is now common practice for most doctors to assign patients to bronchodilators and inhaled cortisone.
But there is a fundamental rule when suffering from asthma: never forget some simple rules of hygiene and behavior:

if you are allergic to house dust, it is best to eliminate curtains, carpets and soft toys
stay away from irritants (smoke, fresh paints, animal hair, pollen, substances with a pungent odor)
adequately ventilate and air-condition the house and car
keep a ideal weight
carefully evaluate the sporting activities to be practiced
to monitor any food allergies and / or pharmacological
to monitor intestinal infections
check for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

Also, there are many studies that proved that though children are left in contact with dogs and cats, they are less likely to develop asthma in adulthood.

Asthma and diet

Omega-3 polyunsaturated acids e antioxidants can exercise considerable anti-inflammatory effects, such as the cancellation of free radicals.
Generally, an asthmatic person at the table must tend to: