Allergic asthma: symptoms and treatment

Allergic asthma is the most commontype of allergy. It affects most of the children and almost half of the adult population. Causes her allergens - particles that a person inhales with air. The medical term for this disease is atopic. What is allergic asthma? And how to deal with such a disease?

Characteristics of pathology

Allergic asthma, the symptoms and treatment of whichrequire detailed study, characterized by inflammation of the respiratory system. This condition provokes the presence of allergens in the air and food. These substances, which irritate the respiratory tract, do not harm most people. But the immune system of individual organisms reacts abnormally to them.

The disease occurs usually in childhood. From time to time it makes itself felt during the entire period of growing up. Sometimes adults are also susceptible to allergic asthma. It is worth noting that the number of people suffering from this disease has been steadily increasing lately.

The development of pathology occurs as follows:

1. Allergens enter the body with inhaled air or food.
2. They irritate the mucous membranes of the smooth muscles of the airways. The latter, in its normal state, is usually relaxed. It easily passes air flow.
3. When the stimulus appears, the immune system reacts to it as a virus. Antibodies begin to be developed to protect the body, which provoke inflammation.

Causes of ailment

Provocators, which are the source of the disease, are divided into the following categories:

1. Allergens of premises. Culprits for their appearance may be: domestic animals (wool, feathers); cockroaches (scales and excreta); mycelium (fungus and mold); dust mites (their litter that hovers in the air with dust).
2. Allergens of open space. Such provocateurs are caused by the pollen of trees and grasses. Accordingly, the disease develops during flowering. Usually it is spring and early summer.
3. Food allergens. Most often they are found in products containing antigens, similar to pollen of plants. It can be eggs, milk, peanuts, shellfish, strawberries, some types of fruit.

The most rare type of allergic asthma isreaction to food irritants. But at the same time this form of the disease is accompanied by very strong manifestations, it is impossible to cope with them on an outpatient basis. Therefore, to eliminate respiratory insufficiency, the patient is hospitalized. Sometimes, allergic asthma, provoked by food, can pose a threat to life.

The causes of pathology in individual individuals are not established. It is believed that this is the influence of the genetic predisposition of the organism and ecology.

Predisposing factors

Usually, the attack develops very quickly with such apathology, like allergic asthma. Symptoms manifest themselves literally within a few minutes after the provocateur enters the body. This is due to the hypersensitivity of the immune system to this type of allergen.

Heredity is also the cause of the development of the disease. According to statistics, if the family has an allergic, then with a probability of 40%, his relatives will have similar reactions.

Progression of the disease is due to the following reasons:

• respiratory system infections;
• smoking (passive also);
• close contact with allergens;
• long-term use of medicines.

Symptoms of an attack

How does allergic asthma manifest? Symptoms are usually observed prodromal. Most often they appear in the evening hours.

Signs of the threshold of the development of an attack are:

• dry cough;
• coryza;
• pain in the abdomen.

This is the first stage of the manifestation of the disease. Then allergic asthma begins to progress.

The symptoms in adults are as follows:

• shortness of breath;
• dyspnea;
• noisy wheezing due to breathing;
• pain and tightness in the chest area;
• dry cough with a small amount of sputum, which increases when a person lies down.

Atopic asthma can also occur against the background of existing diseases of the respiratory tract, such as rhinitis or bronchitis.

Degrees of disease

There are four forms of development of atopic asthma:

1. Intermittent The disease occurs approximately once a week. At night, seizures do not occur more than twice a month.
2. Persistent Manifestations of the disease bother a person more than once every 7 days. Because of this, he can not fully get enough sleep. Accordingly, its activity is reduced.
3. Average. Symptoms of the disease occur every day. It is even more destructive effect on sleep and the physical condition of the body. At this stage, it is recommended to take the drug "Salbutamol" to prevent further development of the disease.
4. Heavy The constant manifestation of allergic asthma, frequent suffocation, day and night attacks make impossible the normal existence of a person.

The most dangerous is asthmatic status inprogressive form. This is a severe form of the disease, known as allergic asthma. The signs of this condition are in the constant increase in seizures and an increase in their duration. In this case, emergency medical care is necessary, because a person may faint or even die due to severe breathing difficulties.

Complications

Allergic asthma is usually easily stopped. Treatment prescribed by a doctor allows you to stop the development of negative symptoms.

But sometimes it happens that the attack develops rapidly. As a result, quite serious consequences can be observed:

1. There is a sudden stop of breathing, or this process is extremely difficult. A person loses consciousness. This condition can even lead to death.
2. Interruption of breathing due to obstruction -is the cause of respiratory failure. This disease is treated in the hospital, using emergency intubation and performing forced ventilation of the lungs. Without such measures, death is possible.
3. In the future, the alveoli of the lungs may break. But this happens very rarely. With this complication, intubation is required to remove air that prevents the expansion of the lungs from the pleura.

Diagnosis of the disease

Allergic asthma is determined in three doses:

1. The doctor finds out everything about the patient's lifestyle. Examines the symptoms of the disease.
2. A blood test for immunoglobulins allows you to determine the presence of the disease.
3. Conducting allergy tests to identify a specific provocateur that caused an unpleasant reaction in the body.

How to cure a disease

Everyone is interested if he is diagnosed with allergic asthma, how to treat such an ailment.

In order to successfully fight the disease or at least reduce the number of attacks, it is necessary, if possible, to remove from the environment all objects that are provocateurs.

The following measures are usually taken:

1. Removed all the things that can accumulate dust - carpets, thick curtains.
2. Just need frequent thorough house cleaning.
3. Use for mattresses and pillows dustproof cover.
4. The windows are kept closed to prevent dust from entering the house from outside.
5. Air conditioners are used with replaceable filters.
6. Humidity in the house should be no more than 50%. When this indicator is exceeded, a comfortable environment for the development of ticks is created.

If the measures taken do not help completelyget rid of the symptoms of the disease, then apply drugs. But it is important to remember that allergic asthma is not treated on its own. Drugs for treatment should be recommended only by a doctor.

Medication Therapy

What medicines treat allergic asthma?

Preparations for the fight with the disease are divided into:

1. Inhalation, not producing a therapeutic effect, but simply relieves suffocation. The patient may be recommended medication "Terbutaline", "Fenoterol", "Berrotek", "Salbutamol."
2. Inhalation treatments and anti-inflammatory effects. Effective medicines are Intal, Tayled.
3. Inhalation medicinal. Excellent results will provide drugs "Pulmicort", "Serevent", "Oxis".
4. Combined. Patients in therapy include drugs "Seretid", "Symbicort."
5. Antihistamines. If mild allergic asthma occurs, treatment may include the use of Zyrtec.

Breathing exercises

The above methods are not the only methods of dealing with such a serious illness. What is another effective treatment for the diagnosis of "allergic asthma"?

Respiratory gymnastics is having a goodtherapeutic effect in combating the symptoms of the disease. Special exercises help to reduce seizures. In addition, such a gymnastics is a good prophylactic method to prevent the development of further complications.

Perform breathing exercises shouldsystematically. Otherwise, their effectiveness will not be complete. Many people, wondering (if they are confronted with the diagnosis of "allergic asthma") how to treat this disease at home, resort to the help of breathing exercises. After all, this complex allows you to restore health. According to reviews of people and doctors, it is quite effective in the fight against a serious illness.

An approximate set of exercises for the respiratory organs in the treatment of allergic asthma:

1. In the morning, without getting out of bed, lie on your back. Knees pull to the chest area. When performing, make a measured exhalation by mouth.
2. Take a standing position. Legs - shoulder width apart. Take a deep breath, at the same time spreading arms to the sides at shoulder level. Then exhale sharply with the mouth, lower the arms along the body, slamming them on the thighs.
3. Take slow steps in place. At the first step, raise your arms to the side. Inhale slowly. Taking the second step is to exhale with noise, lowering the arms.
4. Starting position - sitting on the floor. Pull the legs forward. Breathing in your mouth, raise your arms to the side. Then return the upper limbs to their original position. At the same time, slowly exhale with the mouth and utter the “F” sound with slightly parted lips.
5. Stand with your hands on your belt. Inhale slowly. Simultaneously bulging belly. Then make a sharp exhale. The stomach should be pulled with force. When performing this exercise, the person must breathe through the nose.
6. Breathe in air through a straw. Then put it in a container with water and exhale. Exercise to do during the day, the duration of one session - 10 minutes.
7. Position - standing. Get up on your socks. Raise up hands take a little back. Interlace your fingers. Then sharply lower the entire foot, leaning forward. At the same time, lower your woven hands as if you were chopping wood. Be sure to take a deep breath.
8. Take a standing position. Legs - shoulder width apart. Raise your arms, pushing back a little. Open your palms as if trying to push something away. Then sharply move your arms, hugging yourself and making cotton across the shoulder blades. At this stage, take a deep breath and strain the chest.
9. Exercise "Skier" perform standing. It is necessary to spread your legs a little. Stand on your toes, leaning forward and stretching out your arms, clenched into fists. The pose resembles a skier who descends from the mountain. Then stand on the full foot and, exhaling, sit down. Hands alternately lowered and pulled back. It is necessary to imitate the movement of ski poles. When returning to the starting position, take a deep breath.
10. Lying on your back, hands under the buttocks. Making a slow deep breath out, suck in the stomach. Then inhale with force. Belly pull out.
11. Standing on the toes, raise in hand. Move them up and back out. Then stand on your feet, leaning forward and rounding your back. Take a deep breath. At this time, you should hug yourself.
12. Intermittently inhale nose. Exhale through the mouth, clenched teeth. At the same time to pronounce the "W" or "F".
13. I. p. - standing, hands at the seams. Raise your shoulders slowly, counting to four. Then exhale strongly, dropping them just as slowly.
14. In a standing position, bend a little arm. Take a deep breath, spreading the upper limbs to the sides. Then you need to reduce the hands, while pulling the stomach. Exhale, pronouncing the sound "Sh."
15. Exercise "Balls". Easy enough. It is necessary to inflate the balls until they burst. Repeat the procedure throughout the day. It is recommended to inflate up to three balls per day.

Allergic asthma is quite severe andserious illness. However, even with this pathology, you can learn to cope. To do this, you should strictly follow the recommendations of doctors, exclude allergens from your life and engage in respiratory gymnastics. It should be remembered that only regular methods of struggle will bring the long-awaited result.