Asthma is a very common disease. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, aka the CDC, nearly 8% of Americans have been diagnosed with asthma as of 2020. Let’s dive into what exactly asthma is, its risk factors, symptoms, and treatments.
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a disease of the airways that affects breathing. As the CDC states, “it causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning coughing.”
Risk Factors
Although asthma can affect those of all ages, there are some additional risk factors that make a patient more likely to develop asthma. These risk factors are often linked to genetics and environmental factors; however, the exact cause is unknown. See the list below for known risk factors that can lead to asthma.
- Family history
- Smoking and Secondhand smoke exposure
- Exposure to mold
- Exposure to allergens (i.e. mites or dust)
- Exposure to chemicals
- Air pollution
- Viral lung infections
Symptoms
Patients experiencing an asthmatic episode will likely be short of breath and have chest tightness to the point where they are unable to take a deep breath. Because of this, it is only natural for the body to trigger a stress response, so the patient may also present with anxiety. A patient with a severe exacerbation of asthma may additionally present with low oxygen saturation, prolonged exhalation, and use of accessory muscles. Coughing, wheezing, and mucus production is also common.
Asthma has similar symptoms as COPD and pneumonia, visit What is COPD? Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Treatments and What is Pneumonia? Symptoms, Labs, and Treatments for more information.
Treatment
Treating asthma is typically done with multiple types of medications. The most common being a short acting, aka rescue treatment, in conjunction with a daily medication. As far as inhalers go, bronchodilators are going to be the first choice, including albuterol, salmeterol, ipratropium, and theophylline. Anti-inflammatory agents will also be used to help decrease inflammation in the airways, including corticosteroids and montelukast.
Patient Education
As always, encourage smoking cessation for patients diagnosed with asthma. Also encourage seasonal flu and pneumonia vaccines to help protect from lung infections. Educate patients on how to recognize and avoid environmental risks such as dust, smoke, and chemical exposure. If exposure is inevitable, encourage asthmatic patients to wear a mask and have their prescribed inhaler ready to go. Educate patients with prescribed inhalers on proper use, provide a demonstration and request a return demonstration. If available, provide patients, especially newly diagnosed patients, with educational asthma pamphlets for them to take home and review.
If Left Untreated…
When asthma is left untreated, the body isn’t going to be oxygenated properly because the lungs are unable to do their job. This can lead to respiratory distress and eventually respiratory failure. Patients in respiratory failure will need urgent intubation and mechanical ventilation to inorganically maintain oxygenation to the body.
Do you treat patients with asthma? Comment below!
Plus be sure to check out the rest of the Patient Education Series:
- How to Spot a Stroke and Save a Life
- A Guide to Treating and Managing Type 1 Diabetes
- A Guide to Treating and Managing Type 2 Diabetes
- How to Effectively Manage Acute and Chronic Pain
- Identifying Sepsis and Understanding its Care and Treatment
- What is Hypertension? Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments
- What is Heart Failure? Risk Factors, Symptoms, and Treatments
- What are Urinary Tract Infections? UTI Prevention and Treatments
For more information on Asthma by the CDC, click here.
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