Individuals with a diagnosis of asthma are very aware that at any time they run the risk of an asthma attack. There are three different stages of the asthma attack as there are asthma guidelines to help alleviate this from happing most of the time. The three stages of the asthma attack are:
- Moderate and mild asthma attacks.
- Asthma attacks that become severe.
- Second Wave of asthma attacks.
Moderate and mild asthma attacks are the most common of chronic asthma and it begins by a tightness within the chest cavity, before coughing up mucus. Restlessness and having difficulty sleeping during the night is another symptom of asthma and at these times the individual might prop up a few pillows and try going back to sleep in a semi-sitting position. Breathing is unusually laboring with wheezing and or a whistling sound when the individual is exhaling.
Individuals suffering from a severe asthma attack may become breathless and have difficulty even trying to talk. The individual’s neck muscles will become tight and hardened. The individual’s lips and fingernails may turn a grayish or bluish color from the lack of oxygen traveling through the body. This is a very dangerous time and can very easily become life threatening. The skin around the rib cage will slowly appear to be sucking in and the individual’s overall health will begin to deteriorate very rapidly.
Individuals in this severe asthma attack stage will be best to get emergency assistance as soon as possible. The paramedics are well equipped with oxygen and they will know how to assist the individual back into a healthier state of breathing before too much body oxygen is gone. The paramedics will stay with the individual all the way to the closest hospital and the staff at the hospital will already receive the alert of the individual’s estimated time of arrival.
Individuals who are not able to avoid allergens or those individuals whose symptoms of asthma are uncontrollable there are beta-2 agonists, but they also have side effects that the individual needs to be aware of. Some of these side effects as a cause and effect of beta-2 agonists are fast heart rate, anxiety, tremors, palpitations, and lowering of blood potassium, which is correctable by eating a banana once a day to replenish the lost potassium.
Symptoms of asthma are sometimes difficult to control with beta-2 agonists, and in these cases corticosteroids are an addition. Corticosteroids can improve lung function and reduce the airway obstruction over a shorter period of time. To decrease the deposition of medications on the throat from asthma inhalers, and increase the amount reaching the airways, spacers can be a helpful aid. These spacers are tube like chambers attached to the outlet of the MDI inhaler canister.
Symptoms of asthma also include the combination inhaler therapy which is new on the market today. The medications included with this combination inhaler are Advair and Symbicort which is a big improvement in the release of certain chemicals in the lungs like the family of histamine. This is with the additive of cromolyn sodium which works to prevent asthma attacks but has a very limited effect once acute asthma begins.
Individuals suffering an asthma attack or experiencing the causes of asthma turning severe experience the tightening up of the air passages in the lungs as the passageway becomes more narrow than under normal conditions. Breathing becomes very laboring and the lining of the lungs become very swollen and inflammatory. The coughing becomes incessant , wheezing is very strong, and the individual by this point is experiencing much pain in, around the chest area, and in the throat and neck area.
Watu walio na ugonjwa wa pumu wanajua kwamba wanaweza kuambukizwa ugonjwa huo wakati wowote. Kuna hatua tatu za kushambuliwa na pumu, na miongozo ya pumu inasaidia kupunguza hatua hii. Hatua tatu za mshtuko wa pumu ni: - Mashambulizi ya pumu ya wastani na ya upole. - Mashambulizi ya pumu ambayo huwa makali. - Wimbi la Pili la Mashambulizi ya Pumu. Mashambulizi ya asthma ya wastani na ya upole ni ya kawaida ya asthma ya muda mrefu na huanza na ukali ndani ya shimo la kifua, kabla ya kukohoa mucus. Kutokuwa na amani na kuwa na shida ya kulala wakati wa usiku ni dalili nyingine ya pumu na wakati huu mtu anaweza kuimarisha mto wachache na kujaribu kurudi kulala katika nafasi ya nusu-kuketi. Kupumua ni kazi isiyo ya kawaida na wheezing na au sauti ya filimbi wakati mtu ni exhaling. Watu wanaopatwa na mshtuko mkubwa wa pumu wanaweza kukosa pumzi na kuwa na ugumu hata wa kujaribu kuzungumza. Misuli ya shingo ya mtu huyo itafadhaika na kuwa ngumu. Midomo na kucha za mtu huyo zaweza kuwa na rangi ya kijivu au ya bluu kwa sababu ya ukosefu wa oksijeni inayosafiri mwilini. Hii ni wakati hatari sana na inaweza kuwa hatari kwa maisha. Ngozi karibu na kifua cha kifua itaonekana polepole kuwa sucking katika na afya ya jumla ya mtu ataanza kuharibika kwa kasi sana. Watu walio katika hatua hii ya mshtuko mkubwa wa pumu watakuwa na uwezo wa kupata msaada wa dharura haraka iwezekanavyo. Madaktari wa matibabu wana vifaa vya kutosha vya oksijeni na watajua jinsi ya kumsaidia mtu huyo kurudi katika hali nzuri ya kupumua kabla oksijeni nyingi kupita kiasi haijaisha. Walinzi wa matibabu watakaa na mtu huyo hadi hospitali ya karibu na wafanyakazi wa hospitali watapokea tayari tahadhari ya wakati wa mtu huyo wa kuwasili. Kwa wale ambao hawawezi kuepuka allergens au wale ambao dalili za pumu haziwezi kudhibitiwa, kuna beta-2 agonists, lakini pia zina athari za upande ambazo mtu anahitaji kuwa na ufahamu. Baadhi ya athari hizi kama sababu na athari ya beta-2 agonists ni kasi ya moyo, wasiwasi, kutetemeka, palpitations, na kupunguza potasiamu ya damu, ambayo ni correctable kwa kula ndizi mara moja kwa siku ili kujaza potasiamu waliopotea. Katika hali hii, dalili za pumu ni vigumu kudhibiti na beta-2 agonists, na katika kesi hizi corticosteroids ni ziada. Kortikosteroidi zinaweza kuboresha utendaji wa mapafu na kupunguza kizuizi cha njia za hewa kwa muda mfupi. Ili kupunguza kuhifadhiwa kwa dawa kwenye koo kutoka kwa inhalers za pumu, na kuongeza kiasi kinachofikia njia za hewa, spacers zinaweza kuwa msaada mzuri. Vipande hivi vya kugawanya ni vyumba vinavyofanana na mabomba vilivyounganishwa na mlango wa nje wa chupa ya inhaler ya MDI. Dalili za pumu pia ni pamoja na matibabu ya inhaler ya mchanganyiko ambayo ni mpya kwenye soko leo. Dawa za kawaida zinazotumiwa na dawa hii ni Advair na Symbicort, ambayo ni kuboresha kwa kiasi kikubwa katika kutolewa kwa kemikali fulani katika mapafu kama familia ya histamine. Kwa mfano, cromolyn sodium inaweza kuzuia mashambulizi ya pumu, lakini haina athari kubwa. Watu wanaosumbuliwa na mshtuko wa pumu au ambao sababu za pumu zinageuka kuwa kali hupata upanuzi wa njia za hewa katika mapafu wakati njia hiyo inakuwa nyembamba zaidi kuliko chini ya hali ya kawaida. Kupumua huwa vigumu sana na utando wa mapafu huwa umevimba sana na kuwaka. Kikohozi kinakuwa cha mara kwa mara, kupiga kelele ni nguvu sana, na mtu kwa wakati huu ana uzoefu maumivu mengi katika, karibu na eneo la kifua, na katika koo na shingo.