Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the airways characterised by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction and bronchospasm.
The common symptoms of asthma include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath.
Asthma is known to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors and as such its diagnosis is said to be usually based on the pattern of symptoms, response to therapy over time and spirometry.
Asthma is also clinically classified according to the frequency of symptoms, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and peak expiratory flow rate.
Symptoms are usually known to worsen at night and in the early morning or in response to exercise or cold air.
In marking the 2014 World Asthma Day, The Global Initiative For Asthma published some pointers for controlling asthma symptoms.According to the body, the best strategy for achieving and maintaining asthma control is to control symptoms and alleviate future risk.
It observed that a person’s asthma is under control if they have no or minimal symptoms, no or minimal need to use ‘reliever’ medication, and the ability to do normal physical activity and exercise.
There are different approaches to controlling risk. One way is to refrain from including exacerbation, such as smoking, not regularly taking asthma medication as prescribed, and not using an asthma inhaler correctly.
A key way doctors keep track of patient’s lung function and asthma control is using spirometry, which is a brief and painless test performed in a doctor’s office or lab.
In ideal situations a patient’s function should be measured at the start of the treatment and three to six months after the start, and periodically after as needed. Early diagnosis is also a crucial part of treatment and can help greatly.
According to Dr. Vyanketesh Joshi, Chief Trustee of Sidh Dnyan Foundation at SDF Holistic, India, “There is no medicine available to prevent asthma. Only the attacks can be prevented. There are some patients who do not show any qualities of being an asthmatic. People who frequently sneeze or periodically cough may also be asthmatic. They need to get a diagnosis done at the earlies”.
A relatively new method of helping treat asthma is utilising sunlight. According to Vivek Nangia, Director of the Fortis Hospital, India, “Asthma patients have very low immunity and deficiency of Vitamin D, so exposure to sunlight helps building their immunity .
The encouragement for those with asthma to get out and about is being tested by a new study by a team of scientists at King’s College London, which has initially shown that Vitamin D calms an ‘overactive’ part of the immune system in asthma.
“The research examined whether Vitamin D had an effect on the levels of the molecule produced by white blood cells in a laboratory experiment. It was found that Vitamin D reduced the levels of the specific harming molecules produced by cells from people with asthma”, Neeraj Gupta, senior consultant with Paras Hospitals, India, also noted. The study is however under clinical trial.
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