Asthma attacks "take the wind out of the sufferer's sail," literally, so to speak, and if it is a child, the sight is a pathetic one. They say that a child's immune system is not sufficiently developed to cope with allergies and other environmental factors. Whatever be the cause, an insight into what an asthma attack is and how to recognize the onset of one will help the parents deal with their child's attack in a more informed way.
Asthma is a clinical syndrome characterized by episodes of wheezing and breathlessness, due to hyper-responsiveness of the respiratory system (this means that the airways are very sensitive which result in excess mucus production due to vigorous twitching) leading to inflammation and swelling in the airways along with narrowing of the airway (bronchospasm). According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, almost 25 million people, including almost 7 million children, have asthma. When there is a sudden worsening of asthma symptoms, the patient is said to have an "asthma attack."
Severity of asthma symptoms vary from mild to life-threatening. Mild asthma attacks are generally more common and usually last from a few minutes to a few hours, and can be easily managed with home treatment. However, severe attacks could lead to life-threatening emergency and warrants hospitalization. These are less common but last longer.
Signs and Symptoms of an Asthma Attack
In order to respond quickly to a person who possibly may be having an asthma attack, you need to be aware of the signs and symptoms of it.
- Sudden onset, often at night. Attack starts with chest tightness, throat dryness, or irritation of the upper respiratory tract.
- Difficulty in breathing (dyspnea) especially while breathing out. The breathing becomes a conscious, exhausting effort with a short gasping while breathing in. In other words, rapid breathing.
- Wheezing which is more prominent while breathing out (this is due to narrowing of the airway).
- Barking-type, unproductive (does not bring out phlegm) cough. Bronchospasm and dyspnea develops as cough worsens. As attack subsides, cough becomes productive (brings out phlegm).
- Chest pain and tightness of the neck and chest muscles.
- In severe asthma attacks, lips and fingernails turn blue indicating signs of central cyanosis due to lack of oxygenated blood.
Causes
There is no apparent cause for an asthma attack; however, there are a number of things that are thought to trigger an attack, such as:
- Pollen
- Pets
- Dust
- Respiratory tract infections
- Smoke
- Vigorous exercise
- Inhaling cold, dry air
However, it should be noted that the triggers of asthma vary from person to person.
Management of Asthma Attacks
It is important to recognize and treat even mild symptoms of an asthma attack to help prevent severe episodes and keep asthma under control. When you have a severe asthma attack or when even the mild asthma attack is not responding to treatment, it becomes absolutely necessary to see a doctor. Depending on the severity, management of symptoms is planned.
The primary aim of the doctor will be to give symptomatic relief by administering drugs like bronchodilators, steroids, or antibiotics. Let us see how each of these drugs help in relieving symptoms:
- Bronchodilators: These reverse the narrowing of the airways to ease breathing. Bronchodilators may be given intravenously, or administered with a nebulizer or a ventilator, giving intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPB).
- Steroids: Helps reduce inflammation.
- Antibiotics: Treat the infection.
- Antihistamines: If the asthma attack is triggered by allergens antihistamines(anti-allergic drugs) are prescribed.
- Oxygen is given to stabilize the patient in case of severe attacks.
Follow-up Regimen
Once the treatment takes effect and the attack subsides, the dosage of bronchodilator is reduced, and the patient is encouraged to practice relaxation and breathing control. Some of the techniques that doctors teach the patient are:
- Pursed-lip breathing, which helps control shortness of breath. This involves the patient to breathe in deeply through his nose and breathe out slowly through a pursed lip.
- The patient is taught how to be aware of his posture always and how to hold his body in the most relaxed way in order to reduce the work of breathing.
- Patient is taught techniques like huffing instead of coughing to clear secretion, as coughing causes further narrowing of the airway.
- Patient is also taught the correct technique to use metered-dose inhaler and Rotahaler.
According to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, annual expenditure for health and lost productivity due to asthma are estimated at over $20 billion.
Awareness is the key when it comes to dealing with your child's medical conditions. You getting anxious or having a panic attack is not going to help. Staying calm will help you make the right decisions.
