Asthma medication plays a key role in gaining good control of your asthma.
Asthma is a chronic (lifelong) disease that involves inflammation of the
airways superimposed with recurrent episodes of decreased airflow, mucus
production, and cough. Choosing the proper asthma medication is crucial in
avoiding asthma attacks and living an active life.
Treatment with asthma medication focuses on:
Taking asthma medication that controls inflammation and prevents chronic
symptoms such as coughing or breathlessness at night, in the early morning, or
after exertion (long-term control medications)
Providing asthma medication to treat asthma attacks when they occur
(quick-relief asthma medication)
Avoiding asthma triggers
Monitoring daily asthma symptoms in an asthma diary
Monitoring peak flows with daily asthma tests
There are two general types of asthma medication which can give you
long-term control or quick relief of symptoms.
Anti-inflammatory drugs. This is the most important type of therapy
for most people with asthma because these asthma medications prevent asthma
attacks on an ongoing basis. Steroids, also called "corticosteroids,"
are an important type of anti-inflammatory medication for people suffering from
asthma. These asthma medications reduce swelling and mucus production in the
airways. As a result, airways are less sensitive and less likely to react to
triggers.
Bronchodilators. These asthma medications relieve the symptoms of
asthma by relaxing the muscle bands that tighten around the airways. This
action rapidly opens the airways, letting more air come in and out of the
lungs. As a result, breathing improves. Bronchodilators also help clear mucus
from the lungs. As the airways open, the mucus moves more freely and can be
coughed out more easily.
These asthma medications can be administered in different ways. Successful
treatment should allow you to live an active and normal life. If your asthma
symptoms are not in good control, you should contact your doctor for advice and
look at a different asthma medication that may work best for you.
NOTE: A newer asthma medication, called Xolair, works by inhibiting the
allergic reaction that often causes constriction of the airways. It works by
blocking proteins in the immune system from becoming activated, an underlying
cause of allergic asthma symptoms.
Long-Term Control Asthma Medications
Doctors and asthma specialists recognize that asthma has two main
components: airway inflammation and acute bronchoconstriction (constriction of
the airways). Research has shown that reducing and preventing further
inflammation is the key to preventing asthma attacks, hospitalizations, and
death from asthma.
Long-term control asthma medications are taken daily over an extended period
of time to achieve and maintain control of persistent asthma (asthma that
causes symptoms more than twice a week and frequent attacks that affect
activity).
The most effective long-term control asthma medications are those that stop
airway inflammation (anti-inflammatory drugs), but there are others that are
often used along with anti-inflammatory drugs to enhance their effect.
Long-term control asthma medications include:
Corticosteroids (The inhaled form is the anti-inflammatory drug of choice
for persistent asthma.)
Mast cell stabilizers (anti-inflammatory drugs)
Long acting beta-agonists (bronchodilators often used along with an
anti-inflammatory drug)
Theophylline (a bronchodilator used along with an anti-inflammatory drug to
prevent nighttime symptoms)
Leukotriene modifiers (an alternative to steroids and mast cell
stabilizers)
Xolair (an injectable asthma medication used when inhaled steroids for
asthma failed to control asthma symptoms in people with moderate to severe
asthma who also have allergies)
Quick-Relief Asthma Medications
These asthma medications are used to provide prompt relief of asthma attack
symptoms (cough, chest tightness, and wheezing -- all signs of airway
bronchoconstriction).
The asthma drugs include:
Short acting beta-agonists (bronchodilators that are the drug of choice to
relieve asthma attacks and prevent exercise-induced asthma symptoms)
Anticholinergics (bronchodilators used in addition to short-acting
beta-agonists when needed or as an alternative to these drugs when needed)
Systemic corticosteroids (an anti-inflammatory drug used in an emergency to
get rapid control of the disease while initiating other treatments and to speed
recovery)
Asthma is a common disorder in which
chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes (bronchi) makes them swell, narrowing the airways. Signs and symptoms include shortness of breath, chest tightness,
cough and wheezing.
An allergy refers to a misguided reaction by our immune system in response to bodily contact with certain foreign substances. When these allergens come in contact with the body, it causes the immune system to develop an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to it. It is estimated that 50 million North Americans are affected by allergic conditions. The parts of the body that are prone to react to allergies include the eyes, nose, lungs, skin, and stomach. Common allergic disorders include hay fever, asthma, allergic eyes, allergic eczema, hives, and allergic shock.
Smoking is an addiction. More than 430,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. from smoking related illnesses. Secondhand smoke or "passive smoke" also harm family members, coworkers, and others around smokers. There are a number of techniques available to assist people who want to quit smoking.
Patients who have infrequent, mild bouts of asthma attacks may use over-the-counter (OTC) medications to treat their asthma symptoms. OTC asthma medicines are limited to epinephrine and ephedrine. These OTC drugs are best used with the guidance of a physician, as there may be side effects and the drugs may not be very effective.
Asthma, the main cause of chronic illness in children, has signs and symptoms in children that include frequent coughing spells, low energy while playing, complaints of chest "hurting," wheezing while breathing, shortness of breath, and feelings of tiredness. Treatment will involve a doctor creating an asthma action plan which will describe the use of asthma medications and when to seek emergency care for the child.
There are many unusual symptoms of asthma, including sighing, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, chronic cough, recurrent walking pneumonia, and rapid breathing. These symptoms may vary from individual to individual. These asthma complexities make it difficult to accurately diagnose and treat asthma.
Exercise-induced asthma is asthma triggered by vigorous exercise. Symptoms include coughing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, wheezing, and fatigue while exercising. Preventing exercise-induced asthma attacks involves using inhaled medicines before exercising, performing warm-up exercises and cooling down afterward, avoiding exercising outdoors when pollen counts are high, restricting exercise when you have a viral infection, and wearing a mask over your nose and mouth when exercising in cold weather.
The cause of asthma is unknown. More is known about the abnormal conditions
that occur in asthma. These conditions include (1) hyper-responsiveness
(contraction) of the muscles of the breathing airways in response to many
stimuli such as exercise or allergies (for example, drugs, food additives, dust mites,
animal fur, and mold), (2) inflammation of the airways, (3) shedding of the
tissue lining the airways, (4) increased secretion of mucus in the airways, and
(5) swelling of the walls of the airways with fluid. All of these conditions
narrow the airways and make breathing difficult. Symptoms of asthma include
wheezing (the hallmark of asthma), coughing, difficulty breathing, and
tightness of the chest. Asthma is diagnosed by the presence of wheezing, but
it can be confirmed by breathing tests (spirometry) that evaluate the movement of air into
and out of the lungs.
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