Diagnosis
Physical examination
A physical exam will be performed by your doctor to rule out other illnesses such as a respiratory infection or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Your doctor will also inquire about your signs and symptoms, as well as any other health concerns you may have.
Lung function tests
Lung function tests may be performed to evaluate how much air goes in and out as you breathe. These tests may involve the following:
- Spirometry. This test determines how small your bronchial tubes are by measuring how much air you can exhale after taking a deep breath and how quickly you can exhale.
- Peak flow. A peak flow meter is a basic tool that determines how forcefully you can exhale. Peak flow values that are lower than typical indicate that your lungs aren’t operating as well as they should and that your asthma is worsening. Your doctor will tell you how to keep track of low peak flow readings and how to cope with them.
Lung function tests are frequently performed before and after taking a bronchodilator (brong-koh-DIE-lay-tur), such as albuterol, to widen your airways. If a bronchodilator improves your lung function, you most likely have asthma.
Other asthma diagnostic tests include:
- The Methacholine Challenge is a test of your methacholine levels. Asthma is known to be triggered by methacholine. It causes your airways to narrow somewhat when inhaled. You most likely have asthma if you react to methacholine. Even if your initial lung function test is normal, this test may be used.
- Imaging tests are performed. An X-ray of the chest can reveal any structural abnormalities or disorders (such as infection) that can cause or exacerbate breathing problems.
- Allergy testing is a procedure for determining whether or not a person is A skin test or a blood test can be used to diagnose allergies. If you’re allergic to pets, dust, mold, or pollen, they’ll warn you. Your doctor may recommend allergy shots if allergic triggers are discovered.
- Test for nitric oxide. This test determines how much nitric oxide is present in your breath. When your airways are irritated, which is an indication of asthma, your nitric oxide levels may be greater than normal. This test isn’t available everywhere.
- Eosinophils in the sputum. This test looks for certain white blood cells (eosinophils) in a mixture of saliva and mucus (sputum) that you cough up. When symptoms appear, eosinophils are present and can be seen when stained with a rose-colored dye.
- Exercise and cold-induced asthma testing that is provocative. Your doctor will measure your airway obstruction before and after you engage in vigorous physical activity or take many deep breaths of cold air during these tests.
Asthma classification
Your doctor will examine how often you have signs and symptoms, as well as how severe they are, when determining the severity of your asthma. The results of your physical exam and diagnostic tests will also be taken into account by your doctor.
Your doctor will be able to pick the appropriate treatment for you based on the severity of your asthma. Asthma severity might fluctuate over time, necessitating therapy changes.
Asthma can be divided into four categories
Classification of Asthma Symptoms and signs
Mild intermittent Mild symptoms for up to two days and two nights per month
Mild persistent symptoms at least twice a week, but no more than once a day
Moderately persistent symptoms that occur at least once a day and more than once a week
Severe persistent Symptoms throughout the day on most days and frequently at night
Treatment
Preventing asthma attacks and maintaining long-term control are essential. Learning to recognize your triggers, taking efforts to avoid them, and tracking your breathing to ensure that your meds are keeping your symptoms under control are all part of treatment. You may need to use a quick-relief inhaler if you have an asthma attack.
Medications
Your age, symptoms, asthma triggers, and what works best to keep your asthma under control will all influence which medications are ideal for you.
Long-term control drugs lessen the swelling (inflammation) in your airways, which causes symptoms. Bronchodilators (quick-relief inhalers) open swollen airways that are restricting breathing. Allergy medicines may be required in some circumstances.
- Long-term asthma control medication is the cornerstone of asthma treatment, which is usually given once a day. These treatments help to keep asthma under control on a daily basis and reduce the chances of an asthma attack. The following are examples of long-term control medications:
- Inhaled Corticosteroids Fluticasone propionate (Flovent HFA, Flovent Diskus, Xhance), budesonide (Pulmicort Flexhaler, Pulmicort Respules, Rhinocort), ciclesonide (Alvesco), beclomethasone (Qvar Redihaler), mometasone (Asmanex HFA, Asmanex Twisthaler), mometasone (Asmanex HFA (Arnuity Ellipta).
- You may need to take these meds for several days or weeks to get the most out of them. Inhaled corticosteroids have a lower risk of significant adverse effects than oral corticosteroids.
- Modifiers of leukotrienes. Montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate), and zileuton (Zyflo) are some of the oral asthma treatments available. Montelukast has been related to agitation, violence, hallucinations, depression, and suicidal ideation, among other things. If you have any of these reactions, seek medical help immediately away.
- Combination inhalers are a type of inhaler that combines two or more Fluticasone-salmeterol (Advair HFA, Airduo Digihaler, others), budesonide-formoterol (Symbicort), formoterol-mometasone (Dulera), and fluticasone furoate-vilanterol (Breo Ellipta) are examples of medications that contain a long-acting beta agonist as well as a corticosteroid.
- Theophylline. Theophylline (Theo-24, Elixophyllin, Theochron) is a daily medication that relaxes the muscles around the airways, allowing them to stay open. It’s not as common as other asthma medications, and it necessitates routine blood tests.
During an asthma attack, quick-relief (rescue) medications are used as needed to provide rapid, short-term symptom relief. If your doctor recommends it, you can also take them before exercising. The following are examples of quick-relief medications:
- Short-acting beta agonists, These quick-relief bronchodilators are inhaled and work quickly to relieve symptoms during an asthma attack. Albuterol (ProAir HFA, Ventolin HFA, and others) and levalbuterol are two of them (Xopenex, Xopenex HFA). A portable, hand-held inhaler or a nebulizer, a machine that converts asthma medications into a fine mist, can be used to take short-acting beta agonists. They are inhaled using a mouthpiece or a face mask.
- Anticholinergic medications. Ipratropium (Atrovent HFA) and tiotropium (Spiriva, Spiriva Respimat), like other bronchodilators, work quickly to relax your airways, making it easier to breathe. They’re mostly used to treat emphysema and chronic bronchitis, but they can also help with asthma.
- Corticosteroids, both oral and intravenous Prednisone (Prednisone Intensol, Rayos) and methylprednisolone (Medrol, Depo-Medrol, Solu-Medrol) are two medications that relieve airway inflammation caused by severe asthma. Because they can have serious side effects if used long term, these drugs are only used to treat severe asthma symptoms for a short period of time.
If you have an asthma attack, a quick-relief inhaler can help you feel better quickly. If your long-term control medications are working properly, you shouldn’t need to use your quick-relief inhaler very often.
Keep track of the number of puffs you use each week. Consult your doctor if you need to use your quick-relief inhaler more frequently than your doctor recommends. Your long-term control medication will most likely need to be adjusted.
allergy medications may help If allergies trigger or worsen your asthma, .
These are some of them:
- Shots for allergies (immunotherapy). Allergy shots gradually diminish your immune system’s response to specific allergens over time. Shots are often given once a week for a few months, then once a month for three to five years.
- Biologics. Omalizumab (Xolair), mepolizumab (Nucala), dupilumab (Dupixent), reslizumab (Cinqair), and benralizumab (Fasenra) are all medications used to treat severe asthma.
Thermoplasty of the bronchial tubes
This medicine is used to treat severe asthma that has not responded to inhaled corticosteroids or other long-term asthma therapies. It isn’t readily available, and it isn’t appropriate for everyone.
Your doctor uses an electrode to heat the insides of the lungs’ airways during bronchial thermoplasty. The smooth muscle in the airways relaxes as a result of the heat.
This reduces the airways’ ability to constrict, making breathing easier and potentially reducing asthma attacks. The treatment is usually spread out across three outpatient visits.
For better control, treat by severity: a step-by-step approach
Your treatment plan should be adaptable to changes in your symptoms. At each visit, your doctor should inquire about your symptoms. Your doctor will adjust your treatment based on your signs and symptoms.
If your asthma is under control, for example, your doctor may prescribe less medication. Your doctor may raise your medication and prescribe more regular visits if your asthma isn’t well managed or gets worse.
Action Plan for Asthma
Create an asthma action plan with your doctor that specifies when to take particular medications and when to raise or reduce the dose of your medications according on your symptoms. Include a list of your triggers as well as the steps you’ll need to take to stay away from them.
Your doctor may also advise that you keep track of your asthma symptoms or use a peak flow meter on a regular basis to see how well your asthma treatment is working.
Home remedies and a healthy lifestyle
Although many individuals with asthma rely on drugs to prevent and relieve symptoms, you can take steps to maintain your health and reduce the risk of asthma episodes on your own.
Stay away from your triggers.
Asthma control requires taking actions to decrease your exposure to asthma triggers. To lessen your risk, you should:
- Make use of your air conditioning. The amount of pollen carried indoors by trees, grasses, and weeds is reduced by air conditioning. Air conditioning can help limit your exposure to dust mites by lowering interior humidity. During pollen season, close your windows if you don’t have air conditioning.
- Decontaminate your home’s interior. Replace certain objects in your bedroom to reduce dust that could exacerbate nocturnal symptoms. Cover cushions, mattresses, and box springs in dustproof covers, for example. Use down-filled pillows and blankets sparingly. Remove the carpeting and replace it with hardwood or linoleum flooring throughout the house. Use blinds and curtains that can be washed.
- Maintain the ideal humidity level. Consult your doctor about using a dehumidifier if you live in a humid area.
- Mold spores should be avoided. To prevent mold spores from growing, clean moist spots in the bathroom, kitchen, and around the house. Remove any moldy leaves or damp firewood from your yard.
- Reduce the amount of pet dander in your home. If you have a dander allergy, stay away from pets with fur or feathers. Having your pets cleaned or groomed on a regular basis can also help to reduce the quantity of dander in your home.
- Clean on a regular basis. At least once a week, clean your house. Wear a mask or have someone else clean if you’re likely to stir up dust. Be sure to wash your bedding on a regular basis.
- If it’s cold outside, cover your nose and mouth. Wearing a face mask can assist if your asthma is aggravated by cold or dry air.
Maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Taking care of yourself can help you manage your symptoms, such as:
- Get some exercise on a regular basis. You don’t have to be less active because you have asthma. Asthma episodes can be avoided with treatment, and symptoms can be managed while exercising. Regular exercise can help reduce asthma symptoms by strengthening your heart and lungs. Wear a face mask to warm the air you breathe if you workout in chilly weather.
- Maintain a healthy body mass index (BMI). Being overweight can aggravate asthma symptoms and put you at risk for a variety of other health issues.
- Heartburn and gastric reflux disease can be controlled (GERD). Acid reflux, which produces heartburn, has the potential to damage lung airways and exacerbate asthma symptoms. Consult your doctor about treatment options if you experience regular or continuous heartburn. Before your asthma symptoms improve, you may need GERD treatment.
Coping and assistance
Asthma may be a difficult and stressful condition. Because you need to cut back on your typical activities to avoid environmental triggers, you may become irritated, angry, or depressed. The symptoms of the condition, as well as the extensive care procedures, may make you feel confined or humiliated.
Asthma, on the other hand, does not have to be a crippling ailment. Understanding your disease and taking control of your therapy is the best way to overcome anxiety and a sense of helplessness. Here are some ideas that might be useful:
- Take it slowly. Take breaks between chores and stay away from activities that aggravate your symptoms.
- Make a to-do list for each day. This may assist you in avoiding feeling overburdened. Reward yourself after achieving simple objectives.
- Talk to other people who have the same problem as you. Chat rooms and message boards on the internet, as well as local support groups, can help you connect with others who are going through similar problems and let you know you’re not alone.
- Encourage your youngster if he or she suffers from asthma. Pay attention to what your child can do rather than what he or she can’t. Help your child manage asthma by involving teachers, school nurses, coaches, friends, and relatives.
