Know and manage your acute asthma attack easily

Acute asthma attack, also known as asthma exacerbation in medical terminology, is one common ailment primarily found in adults, in which the airways leading to one’s lungs are swollen, due to which muscles around them contract, thus leading to narrowing of breathing tubes. This condition leads to shortage of breath, which can turn into life-threatening situations at times. While minor asthma attacks can be treated at home using medicines, severe asthma attacks need proper medication and treatment at the hospital.

Basic symptoms:-

Following are the basic symptoms of acute asthma attack which one faces, and can differ in terms of intensity:-

• Severe shortness of breath – Even in optimal conditions, if one is facing a lack of oxygen while breathing

• Chest pain or tightness in the chest – Even in mild breathing conditions, if one is suffering from chest pain, or can sense tightness in the chest or surrounding areas.

• Coughing – If mild pain in the chest is followed gradually by a series of dry or wet coughing.

• Low PEF readings – Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) readings, which are measured using a peak flow meter, can be low (between 51% to 79%) during acute asthma attack conditions.

Early diagnosis:-

If one has met with the conditions of an acute asthma attack, he/she should immediately undergo lung function tests. This gives a clearer picture of the condition of your lungs, which will indicate the severity of the asthma condition. Following are all the procedures included in the basic lung function tests:-

• Peak flow – The first and foremost step is to check the peak expiratory flow, which is done by a PEF meter. This can be done by the doctor at your home too, provided if you have the access to PEF meter at home. In this test, one needs to blow into the mouthpiece of the PEF meter in a single breath as hard as possible.

• Spirometry – Using a device called a spirometer, one needs to take deep breaths and exhale in the hose connected to it, the outcome of which is termed as Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV). This is done to determine the amount of air one can breathe in a second as well as the amount of air one can hold in his/her lungs.

• Nitric oxide measurement – This test is conducted to calculate the exact amount of nitric oxide which is present in your breath while exhaling. If the amount of nitric oxide is high as per this test, it indicates that the bronchial tubes of your lungs are swollen beyond normalcy.

• Pulse oximetry test – One of the most basic tests to find out the amount of oxygen in your blood, this test is conducted by placing one of your fingernails on the tip of the oxymeter, the outcome of which appears within few seconds.

If the intensity of the early symptoms (aforementioned above) is higher than normal conditions, it is better to seek emergency treatment and medications, which are as follows:-

• Short-acting beta-agonists – This medication is carried out using a device called a nebulizer, through which beta-agonists/medicines like albuterol is pushed in your lungs. With the nebulizer, the beta-agonists are turned in the form of mists, inhaling which is quite an easier task.

• Oral corticosteroids – These medicines are usually taken in the form of pills and can be given intravenously to those people who have been suffering from repeated respiratory problems or nausea/vomiting. These corticosteroids aid in the reduction of lung inflammation and controlling the early symptoms of asthma to a substantial amount.

• Ipratropium – If the beta-agonists mentioned in the first step (like albuterol) do not show effective signs of healing, ipratropium is generally consulted. This medicine is used as a bronchodilator in case of a severe asthma attack.

• Intubation and mechanical ventilation – If all the medicines mentioned above prove to be ineffective in reducing of symptoms and one’s condition is turning severe, the final step is to put the concerned patient on mechanical ventilation. In this procedure, the doctor puts a breathing tube into the upper airway of the throat of the patient. Through this, oxygen is pumped into the lungs, which will enable the lungs to come back into normal condition of breathing. Besides doing this, general medication mentioned above will be given simultaneously.

One needs to consult with a proper pulmonologist to determine whether the symptoms and issues he/she is facing are too severe or not.