The nature of the course of an asthma attackdepends mainly on the type of disease. Infectious-allergic asthma is characterized by sluggish symptoms, the first signs of which appear unnoticed, and then begin to slowly intensify. In adults, their causes may be stress, emotional tension or respiratory diseases. The cause of atopic asthma is usually contact with an allergen. In this case, the signs of the disease appear suddenly and begin to develop rapidly.
The main symptoms of an asthmatic attack
Being a chronic respiratory diseasetract, asthma can be the cause of attacks that vary in symptoms and severity. Some people suffer from asthma almost without noticing, while others are constantly tormented by symptoms such as a dry cough and shortness of breath. The main symptom of asthma is difficulty breathing. This symptom is always accompanied by shortness of breath, a feeling of tightness in the chest and a feeling of lack of air. During an attack, a person tries to take a strictly vertical position, standing or sitting, and lean forward, as if helping himself to exhale. But due to the narrowing of the airways, exhalation is ineffective, although the patient's lungs are filled with oxygen. The patient's breathing during an asthma attack is accompanied by wheezing. This occurs as a result of air passing through the bronchi compressed due to spasm. However, wheezing alone cannot be evidence of asthma, since it is also observed in other diseases. Therefore, to diagnose asthma in adults, it is necessary to observe other symptoms. The main symptoms of asthma that accompany the patient at night are coughing and shortness of breath. Why these symptoms most often appear at night is still unclear. But it can be assumed that the cause is the natural narrowing of the human airways at night. And for an asthma patient, whose airways are already narrowed due to the disease, this process causes great concern. For some adult patients, the only symptoms of asthma that bring significant discomfort are a dry cough and slight wheezing. Starting in this way, sometimes an attack leads to the appearance of sputum. In the absence of infection in the lungs and bronchi, it should be transparent. In rare cases, sputum is yellow due to the presence of eosinophils - immune cells. Sometimes, mistakenly diagnosing pneumonia, the doctor prescribes antibiotics to the patient. But with a cough caused by an asthma attack, antibiotics do not help.
Symptoms requiring medical attention
During severe asthma attacks,Adult patients lose a lot of physical and mental strength, as they have to make a lot of effort just to breathe. Symptoms of the disease prevent a person from talking and do not allow them to take a horizontal position. During acute asthma attacks, adult patients may show signs of oxygen starvation: a bluish tint to the skin, confusion. Breathing becomes shallow and does not fill the lungs. All these signs are very dangerous and require immediate medical attention. Also, others should pay attention if a patient with an acute asthma attack suddenly stops wheezing, heard at first. It is a mistake to think that this means that the attack will soon end. In fact, the cessation of wheezing means a deterioration in the condition due to an even greater blockage of the airways. This condition is dangerous due to a complete cessation of breathing, and requires immediate medical intervention. But even in the absence of severe attacks, it should be understood that asthma is a serious disease that requires treatment under the supervision of a specialist. A qualified doctor prescribes treatment based on the history and symptoms of the disease. Asthma treatment always includes not only medications, but also a special regimen and certain actions during attacks. Often, to cope with the disease, the patient has to radically change his lifestyle.