Overview
Have you ever experienced difficulty in breathing, a typical sound while breathing or shortness of breath? It can be a sign of asthma. As a lung specialist in Vadodara, I find many patients who are unaware of this situation. Asthma can be life-threatening so today I wish to guide you about it.
Pathology of Asthma
Symptoms of Asthma
Signs and symptoms of asthma include:
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness or pain in chest
- Wheezing(whistle-like sound) when exhaling
- Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
Types of Asthma
Allergic asthma
It is triggered by allergens like pollen, perfumes, pets and dust mites.
Seasonal asthma
Some people experience asthma attacks when the weather changes.
Occupational asthma
If your occupation is such that you have to deal with allergens like dust, typical smells or things like that then it can trigger occupational asthma.
Non-allergic asthma
Non-allergic asthma does not require any external triggers and is induced on its own. As a pulmonologist in Vadodara, I often find it to be more severe than other forms of asthma.
Exercise-induced asthma
Certain exercises that require a person to breathe deeply can cause ‘exercise-induced asthma’. Examples include any games where you are required to run, swim, cycle etc.
Adult onset asthma
Sometimes you get symptoms of asthma after you grow up. This can be due to occupation, smoking, stress or hormones.
Childhood asthma
Many children face issues with breathing and often it is categorised as childhood asthma. As a lung specialist in Vadodara, I have observed that it is mostly triggered due to allergens or weather conditions.
Causes/Triggers
Asthma triggers act differently for each person. However, as a pulmonologist, I’ve observed the following act as triggers for asthma.
- Weather conditions
- Food
- Alcohol
- Indoor environment
- Pollution
- Cigarette smoke
- Cold and flu
- Alcohol
- Female hormones
- Mould and damp
- Stress
- Recreational drugs
- Animals and pets
- Dust mites
- Pollen
- Coronavirus
- Exercise
- Chest infections
Diagnosis
As lung specialists, we often do physical examinations, ask questions and do required tests to diagnose asthma. Asthma can be genetic so we always ask about the patient’s history.
You can expect the following tests from a pulmonologist in Vadodara.
Spirometry:
During this procedure, a small clamp is put on your nose to disallow you from breathing through the nose. Later you are asked to blow air into a device which is attached to a digital display. It shows various parameters through which we can judge whether you are able to exhale properly.
It measures the quantity of air that you breathe out and also how fast you breathe out.
Peak Flow:
This procedure can be done at home too. You just need to blow air in and out of the device and record your findings.
Blood Tests:
Routine blood tests can reveal your allergies. Accordingly, we can prescribe medicines.
Sputum eosinophils:
This test looks for certain white blood cells (eosinophils) in the mixture of saliva and mucus (sputum) discharged during coughing.
Classification of Asthma on the basis of severity:
Depending on the severity of the conditions observed by you, we can classify asthma in the following parts.
Sign or Symptom Classification of Asthma
Mild symptoms up to two days a week Mild Intermittent
Symptoms more than twice a week, but not Mild Persistent
more than once in a single day
Symptoms once a day and more than Moderate Persistent
one-night in a week’s time
Symptoms throughout the day and at night Severe Persistent
Treatment
Asthma can be controlled with the help of medication or inhalers. Again, depending on the age of the patient and the severity of the disease, we prescribe medicines.
Bronchodilators:
These medicines are used to relax the muscles around your airways. They can be used for intermittent and chronic asthma.
Anti-inflammatory medicines:
These medicines help to reduce swelling in the airways. They also assist in less production of mucus. It helps with chronic asthma.
Biologic Therapies:
If inhalers are not able to help in controlling asthma then biologic therapies are used.
Final Words:
As a lung specialist in Vadodara, I would like to urge you all not to neglect any problems with breathing issues. At times, it can be fatal. You need to approach a hospital quickly in the following cases:
Dr Apurv completed his Bachelor’s in medicine in 2015 and later did specialization in the field of pulmonology. He is associated with Janvi Multispeciality hospital for a quite long time now and loves to help patients in whatever way he can.