Symptoms Of Bronchial Asthma
Asthma
The word ‘asthma’ is derived from the Greek meaning ‘ panting’ or ‘labored breathing’. Asthma is a condition characterized by a paroxysmal wheezing dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing), mainly expiratory.
Bronchial Asthma
Bronchial asthma is a disease caused by increased responsiveness of the tracheobronchial tree to various stimuli. The result is paroxysmal constriction of the bronchial airways. Bronchial asthma is the more correct name for the common form of asthma. The term ‘bronchial’ is used to differentiate it from ‘cardiac’ asthma, which is a separate condition that is caused by heart failure.
Causes Of Bronchial Asthma
There can be several causes of Bronchial Asthma. The main cause is a raised level of resistance to the airflow in the bronchial passages. Although the muscles of these passages work harder, they are unable to support the activity of breathing and gas exchange.
Typical of bronchial asthma is acute shortness of breath, coughing, viscous and phlegmy sputum and difficulty exhaling. Harbingers of an attack can include sweating, sneezing, tickling in the throat and agitation.
Symptoms can occur spontaneously or can be triggered by respiratory infections cold air, tobacco smoke or other pollutants, stress or anxiety, or by food allergies or drug allergies.
Breathe With Bronchial Asthma
If you have ever watched someone have difficulty breathing, then you know that it is no fun. You can feel very helpless as a bystander. Maybe the closest you have ever come to having difficulty breathing is when you have experienced a plugged up nose from a cold. Bronchial asthma is a similar feeling, but not caused from the same thing.
Most patients do not follow/know the guidelines particularly what is adequate control and the severity is often underestimated. We tried to assess the adequacy of symptom control and the factors associated with inadequate control in Indian patients in reference to NIH guidelines.
