Wednesday, July 23, 2014

How to Recognize Asthma

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit
Asthma is a common breathing disorder typically diagnosed in children and teens. It is characterized by the constriction of the vessels in the lung that absorb oxygen. Asthma can be dangerous if not treated, and should be dealt with by a doctor.

Steps

Learning the Basic Symptoms
  1. Coughing. Coughing is the most basic symptom of asthma, and is experienced on a relatively frequent basis. If your coughs are wet or you’re coughing up mucus, you likely have a cold or infection. Coughs caused by asthma are dry and respond quickly to the use of an inhaler.
    • If your coughs are dry and frequent but do not respond to an inhaler, you may still have asthma. However, you may be experiencing an asthma attack and should refer to a doctor for help.[1]
  2. Difficulty breathing. In addition to coughing, asthma sufferers experience constricted breathing. You may experience the feeling of breathing through a straw, or feeling like you can’t inhale or exhale enough air.
  3. Wheezing. Wheezing is a type of labored breathing accompanied with a squeaky noise. If a high-pitched sound like air running through the eaves of a building can be heard when you breathe in, it's likely a symptom of asthma.
  4. Chest pain. It is common for asthma sufferers to remark upon feeling chest pain as a co-symptom to difficulty breathing. This feels like a large weight has been placed on your chest, or as if you can’t fully expand your diaphragm or chest muscles. You may also feel a stinging or burning sensation.[2]
Recognizing an Asthma Attack
  1. Coughing spells. You may be experiencing an asthma attack if you have a fit of coughing lasting for a minute or longer, that won’t seem to stop.
  2. Difficulty talking. Although this is often the result of a coughing spell, you can experience extreme difficulty speaking when having an asthma attack. It may feel as if you don’t have enough air to talk, or that you have to gasp when attempting to speak.
  3. Chest pain. Sometimes called ‘retractions’, you may experience tightened muscles in your chest and neck in addition to sharp painful sensations. Your chest pain could also be expressed as a heaviness of the chest, similar to the feeling of a large weight being placed on it.
  4. Extreme wheezing. Regular bouts of asthma are characterized by mild, infrequent wheezing. During an asthma attack however, you’ll experience wheezing with the majority of your breathing, especially if you gasp for air.
  5. Anxiety. As a result of difficulty breathing and chest pain, it is typical to feel anxiety or fear of suffocation. Anxiety typically dissipates on it’s own after your breathing returns to normal and the attack is over.[3]

Tips

  • The treatments for asthma are a usually inhaled steroids. These come in those L-shaped canisters, known as inhalers, frequently associated with asthmatics. They are prescription only, so you will need to visit your doctor to get some.
  • Consult a physician to confirm that it is asthma. Doctors deal with asthma frequently, and will be able to treat you without you having to wait for medicine.
  • Make sure you children know how to use the inhaler. It is very hard to over-dose on an inhaler. During an asthma attack, sufferers can take as many as nine actuations (puffs) to relieve their symptoms.
  • If it was determined NOT to be asthma, but the onset of winter causes you to cough uncontrollably, wear a scarf. And try and find a non-allergic fabric so your skin won't itch. An allergy on top of another is very overwhelming for your immune system.
  • If you have even the slightest suspicion that you or your child has asthma, consult a doctor immediately. Asthma is potentially fatal, and as it can be triggered by physical exertion, children are highly susceptible.

Warnings

  • If your asthma attack does not go away with the use of an inhaler, you may need to get help from a doctor.
  • The aforementioned information is for use in self-diagnosis of asthma, but is not comparable to the diagnosis of a trained medical physician. If you think you have asthma, visit your doctor to be tested and receive proper treatment.

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Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/asthma-attack/DS01068/DSECTION=symptoms
  2. ↑ http://www.asthma.com/learn/asthma-symptoms.html?cc=p1113c00145:e1:d1:w1:p20&pid=333599&google=e_&rotation=10970&banner=81014&kw=333599#
  3. ↑ http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/asthma-attack

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