Emergency care for an asthma attack
In addition to the main symptoms listed aboveDuring an asthma attack, a person may experience symptoms such as weakness, dizziness, fainting, tachycardia, sweating, fear and panic. It is difficult for him to breathe, to alleviate his condition he is forced to sit, leaning forward. During an attack, the patient must take the coachman's pose: you need to sit on a chair, trying to keep your back perfectly straight and, slightly sticking out your stomach, release the diaphragm. The arms and legs should be relaxed and hanging freely. The diaphragm is an important muscle of the respiratory system and, by releasing it, the patient will be able to slightly reduce suffocation. At the first signs of asthma, it is necessary to take a medicine to stop the attack, prescribed by a doctor. Asthmatics are most often prescribed steroid drugs in inhalers (salbutamol, ventolin, berotek), thanks to which suffocation can be quickly relieved. It is very important to observe the correct dosage when using aerosols; at least 20 seconds should pass between several sprays of the medicine. Inhalers have a bronchodilator effect and help to remove viscous sputum, which blocks the bronchi during an attack. As soon as the patient manages to cough up sputum, his condition will improve. A compress made from mustard powder will help get rid of accumulated sputum in the respiratory tract. 15 g of powder should be diluted in 1 liter of water, a piece of natural fabric should be soaked in the resulting liquid, squeezed out thoroughly and placed on the chest area. It is recommended to cover the compress with a terry towel heated with an iron. The procedure helps to relieve tension from the muscles of the respiratory tract and facilitates coughing. Duration - up to 30 minutes. It is also believed that natural coffee has the ability to make bronchospasm weaker and, thus, reduces the manifestation of an asthma attack. To alleviate the patient's condition, he needs to drink at least two cups of this drink.
Use of an inhaler
To get maximum help from your inhaler,It is important to learn how to use it correctly. For ease of use, the medicinal aerosol is placed in a special mouthpiece, through which the drug is introduced into the respiratory tract. Before each use, the inhaler must be shaken well and turned over so that the bottom of the bottle is at the top. After a strong exhalation, you need to take the end of the mouthpiece in your mouth, clasping it tightly with your lips, and with a deep breath, sharply press on the canister with the medicine. You need to inhale until the entire dose of the drug enters the respiratory tract. The head should be slightly tilted down during inhalation. After the procedure, be sure to rinse your mouth or drink water. It is very important to ensure that smoke does not come out of the mouthpiece when you press on the bottom of the bottle. The more smoke comes out, the less medicine will get into the respiratory tract. Incorrect inhalation will not bring relief to the patient. Those who have difficulties using inhalers should purchase special spacers - additional devices for aerosol procedures that ensure maximum deposition of medicinal particles in the bronchi. Spacers are not cheap, but thanks to them it is possible to achieve maximum efficiency from inhalations during asthma attacks.
Health care
It is worth sounding the alarm if first aid does not work.brought no improvement to the patient with bronchial asthma or if his condition worsened. You should immediately call an ambulance, and while the doctors are on the way, try to calm the asthmatic as much as possible, give him plenty of water to drink and in no case allow him to lie down, since breathing becomes even more difficult in the lying position. If during prolonged suffocation the person's skin acquires a pale bluish tint, he experiences clouding of consciousness, the patient raises his chin and shoulders high in the hope of inhaling air, it means that his respiratory organs are beginning to fail and the attack may end in death. First aid that medical workers will provide to the patient with asthma includes drugs that stop the attack in the form of injections and inhalers, as well as droppers. In severe attacks, the person must be hospitalized. In the case when the asthma attack has dragged on for a long time and is difficult to treat, the patient will need more intensive drug treatment and oxygen masks. This condition indicates that a person has status asthmaticus, a very life-threatening condition.
Allergens in the life of a patient with asthma
Almost always, attacks of suffocation are caused bythe action of certain stimuli. In order to reduce the number of asthma manifestations to a minimum, it is necessary to identify those allergens that bother a person. The most aggressive stimuli of bronchial asthma include house dust, fungus, mites, pollen of flowers, plants and trees, fluff and animal hair, cockroaches, and some food products. It is possible to find out how much an asthmatic is affected by a particular allergen using allergy tests conducted in laboratories. Practice shows that the overwhelming majority of people with bronchial asthma suffer from dust allergy. It is clear that it is impossible to completely get rid of it and create sterile living conditions for an asthmatic, but it is quite possible to significantly reduce the level of dust in the house. Remove all carpets from the walls and floors, regularly vacuum upholstered furniture and do wet cleaning. Monitor the cleanliness of the air in the room, ventilate the apartment in any weather. If it turns out that the cause of asthma attacks in one of the family members was the fur of a four-legged pet, then you will have to find a new owner for it. Sadly, our smaller brothers very often cannot get along under the same roof with asthmatics. Lovers of flowerpots should know that some of them can cause an exacerbation of asthma during the flowering period. Allergenic products that asthmatics should exclude from their diet include fish, seafood, citrus fruits, all brightly colored berries and fruits, eggs, buckwheat, oatmeal. Some people have an individual intolerance to cow's milk. Additional factors that affect the frequency of asthma attacks are cigarette smoke, perfumes and colognes, household chemicals, high humidity, exhaust fumes, sudden changes in temperature, physical activity, smells from cooking (it is especially dangerous to inhale the smell of fried fish). Asthmatics are contraindicated to take aspirin, it can cause a severe attack with a fatal outcome. Any viral infection can provoke an exacerbation of asthma, so you need to ask the attending physician, in addition to treatment for the underlying disease, to prescribe preventive treatment aimed at stopping asthma attacks. Today, asthma is successfully treated with allergens. This method of combating the disease is called ASIT (allergen-specific immunotherapy). The essence of the treatment is the injection of certain doses of allergens into the patient's body, due to which the person gradually becomes accustomed to the causative agents of attacks and stops reacting to them. When treating with ASIT, it is important to identify all allergens that negatively affect a person, otherwise the long-awaited recovery will not follow.
Additional Asthma Counseling
A person suffering from bronchial asthma,All necessary medications should be at hand. It is desirable that another family member knows how to provide first aid to an asthmatic during an asthma attack, what medications and in what dosages the attending physician has prescribed. In no case should the patient leave the house without an inhaler, because an attack can take him by surprise. Despite the fact that it is almost impossible to completely get rid of bronchial asthma, it is quite possible to learn to control it by following all the doctor's instructions. It will be useful for an asthmatic to lead an active lifestyle during remission, walk a lot in the fresh air, walk, swim, do morning exercises, drink at least 1.5 liters of liquid, which promotes the discharge of sputum. Very often, people suffering from respiratory diseases manage to stabilize their condition by spending 2-3 weeks annually at seaside resorts. Regular yoga classes, in which a person is taught how to breathe correctly, show good results. In addition, some yoga asanas can help a person during an attack and relieve him from the need to use inhalers. According to yoga instructors, this ancient Eastern teaching can rid a person of asthma forever.
Bronchial asthma in a child
The course of asthma in childhood has its ownFeatures. As a rule, if this disease occurs in a small child, then there is a very high chance that in adolescence it will pass without a trace or will turn into a milder form. Asthma in children can manifest itself not only in attacks of suffocation. Sometimes children are characterized by a milder course of the disease, which is usually called cough asthma. With this course of the disease, the child is tormented by a dry cough for a long time, which is not treated with conventional cough remedies. In such cases, only a special examination will help to find out whether the child has asthma. It is important for parents to know what to do during an asthma attack in a child. First aid during an exacerbation of the disease should be provided immediately and only with drugs prescribed by a doctor. You cannot independently add or reduce the dosage of drugs for the child. If the baby's condition is alarming, then it is better to try to show him to the doctor as soon as possible. Usually, small children tolerate asthma attacks easier, since they are not inclined to listen to their own health. The mother and father of an asthmatic child should try not to worry during an acute manifestation of the disease, otherwise the state of anxiety will be transferred to the child and will only worsen the condition. Despite the fact that asthmatic children are exempted from physical education at school, this is not a sign that sports are completely contraindicated for them. Moderate physical activity or swimming during the period of remission will provide invaluable help to the growing body and will contribute to the strengthening of the child's health. The child needs to be explained what can cause an attack and taught to avoid causative agents. Parents should regularly consult with a doctor about their child's condition and read additional literature that will shed light on the features of the disease. Despite everything, you need to look to the future with optimism and believe that in a few years the child will outgrow asthma and he will live a full life.
