Bronchial Asthma - Causes, Symptoms - Ananthapuri Hospitals, Trivandrum

You can't get enough air. You try to take deep breaths, but it isn't helping you much. It's practically suffocation. You start feeling dizzy. Your heart starts beating quickly. It's like you're underwater - your lungs are not getting enough oxygen. It's frightening and weird. All the inflammation and mucus blocks the air, and you're wheezing. You try to cough to clear your throat, to start breathing at ease, but nothing helps.

This is an experience shared by a person who encountered an asthma attack.

Inhale..exhale..inhale..exhale...breathing is supposed to be an automatic function in the human body. Unfortunately, people who have asthma have a hard time breathing. Bronchial asthma is just another term for asthma. It is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways. Bronchial asthma patients often experience persistent cough or tightness in the chest. 

Asthma is considered to be the most common chronic disease among children and there are around 300 million asthma patients worldwide. Studies show that 1/10th of the global asthma patients are from India.

What Is the Main Cause of Asthma?

The exact cause behind asthma is still unknown. However, studies show that the causes of asthma are a combination of both environmental and genetic factors. When the airways come into contact with a trigger, they become inflamed, narrow, and gets filled with mucus, making it difficult to breathe, and thus causing an asthma attack.

The causes of bronchial asthma differ from person to person and mainly depends on the various types of triggers.

Asthma attack triggers include:

• Respiratory infections, such as the common cold
• Indoor allergens such as house dust, mites in bedding, carpets and furniture etc.
• Pet's dander, skin flakes, saliva and urine
• Air pollutants and irritants, such as smoke
• Cold air
• Physical activity such as exercise
• Extreme emotional arousals such as anger or fear
• Smoking

Are Asthma and Bronchitis the Same? 

No, asthma and bronchitis are not the same.

Asthma is a chronic condition that is long-term, while bronchitis is an isolated condition that is most likely to resolve itself. The cause of asthma is unknown, while bronchitis occurs as a response to acute infection. Although bronchitis symptoms may overlap with asthma symptoms, bronchitis does not cause the airway obstruction, which is the primary characteristic of asthma. Asthmatic cough generally produces sputum (a mixture of saliva and mucus), whereas bronchial cough is non-productive without sputum.

What Are the Symptoms of Asthma?

The symptoms of asthma are more or less similar to the symptoms of common cold. If the symptoms recur, that’s a clue of bronchial asthma.

Watch out for these common signs:

• Chest tightness or pain
• Shortness of breath
• Disturbed sleep caused by shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
• A whistling or wheezing sound when exhaling

Can Asthma Be Cured?

The sad fact is that bronchial asthma has no cure, but there are many treatment options that can prevent asthma attacks or treat symptoms when they occur. Prevention and long-term monitoring are important to stop asthma attacks. Treatment mainly involves identifying the triggers and monitoring the breathing rate so as to ensure that everything is kept under control. Severe attack and chronic symptoms can be reduced drastically by avoiding asthma triggers and allergens.

Age, symptoms, asthma triggers and the treatment plan - all determine the right medication for you. It is absolutely necessary to meet with your doctor regularly to review your treatment. Long-term preventive drugs minimise the inflammation that contributes to the discomfort in your airways.  

Quick-relief inhalers (bronchodilators) help to quickly open a swollen airway that limits breathing. Inhalers have proven to be one of the best treatment methods for asthma and are recommended by doctors worldwide. Inhalers can be safely used by both adults as well as kids.

Recently, there has been a surge in the number of asthma patients. This surge is being attributed to various causes ranging from allergies to pollution of the environment. 

Consult an allergist or a pulmonologist if you experience any kind of symptoms related to asthma. 

The Department of Pulmonology at Ananthapuri is a highly advanced and a specialised unit providing diagnostic, therapeutic and preventive services for the management of respiratory diseases. Ananthapuri Hospitals has the best team of pulmonologists and allergists at your service. To book an appointment, call us at +91 9400332777 or visit our hospital at Chacka, NH Bypass, Thiruvananthapuram.

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