Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. “Can asthma be completely cured?” – one of the first questions that comes from a patient’s mouth after a diagnosis.
It is impossible to get rid of the disease, but it is quite possible to ensure a normal life and reduce the frequency of attacks. There are many myths around this disease, but they do not always correspond to reality. If you experience alarming symptoms that are accompanied by coughing fits, it is important to immediately contact a specialist.
Specificity of bronchial asthma
Asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory tract that provokes the development of bronchial obstruction. Normal ventilation of the lungs is impaired, sputum discharge becomes difficult, frequent exacerbations appear, which are accompanied by wheezing, a feeling of congestion in the chest and lack of air.
The main symptoms in adults:
- shortness of breath;
- a feeling of congestion in the chest;
- wheezing accompanied by whistling;
- coughing.
Often an attack is provoked by an allergy, so the disease can manifest itself seasonally.
The most likely developmental factors are professional activity and hereditary predisposition. Sometimes asthma develops due to exposure to adverse environmental conditions, contact with household chemicals or food.
Doctors say that the likelihood of the disease increases in those children who have had an infectious disease and whose parents are allergic.
There is a high risk of developing the disease in people who are constantly in contact with harmful gases, mineral dust, chemicals and reagents. At risk are doctors, chemists, builders. Even if you eliminate the irritant, it will not help get rid of asthma, but will only reduce the frequency of attacks for a while.
An allergen provokes an attack – a virus, bacteria, dust, and so on. An increase in the frequency of exacerbations signals the need to revise treatment tactics.
Can bronchial asthma be cured?
Patients wonder if asthma can be cured or not. Doctors say that you cannot be completely cured. Changes occur in the body that cannot be corrected.
The disease is not a sentence; if certain rules are observed, a person’s condition can be significantly improved, and he will live a full life.
Compliance with all the recommendations of doctors can slow down the progression of the disease.
Always keep your inhaler with you in case of an attack. With a mild form of the disease, it is enough to adhere to a certain diet and observe some precautionary rules.
The disease has a chronic course and develops as a result of inflammation in the bronchi, which leads to an incorrect reaction of the immune system. No medicine can interfere with this process.
Bronchial asthma in children
Atopic asthma is common in childhood . Allergy leads to inflammation and narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi.
Main irritants:
- dust;
- pet hair;
- pollen of plants, especially in spring;
- fungal spores;
- household chemicals;
- smoke;
- medications.
In children under two years of age, asthma can be caused by foods that the child begins to consume. It is important for parents to be careful about the first feeding of the baby. Each new dish should be given in the morning and in small quantities.
For the first feeding, hypoallergenic vegetables and fruits are suitable. Next, you need to monitor the baby’s reaction, if allergy symptoms occur, remove the product from the diet. It is best to keep a special journal and note all changes. Allergies can have dire consequences.
Difficulties arise with the diagnosis of the disease in children, since the baby is not yet able to describe his feelings. Very often, experts confuse asthma with acute respiratory infections and flu. Only attentive parents will understand that these are far from signs of a cold.
Treatment features
Can bronchial asthma be cured in children? If this is really asthma, then it requires qualified help from specialists. Sometimes it can be another medical condition that can be cured. Many parents claim that the child’s asthma is gone. This is possible with the onset of puberty.
How can a child’s asthma be cured? There are many medications that can improve the condition and reduce the number of attacks. The main thing is to find out the allergen that provokes the onset of an exacerbation, and to exclude its effect. Allergy tests are performed to identify the irritant . If a food product is a provocateur, then it is completely excluded from the diet.
You also need:
- Take medications aimed at controlling the inflammatory process in the bronchi and ensuring a normal life.
- Avoid exposure to factors that trigger an attack, such as allergens.
- Teach your child how to use a pocket inhaler correctly and what to do if an attack occurs. The main thing is to stay calm.
Adults should know what not to do if a child has asthma. Not all attacks of the disease end well. Fatalities also happen, and often they occur due to the wrong actions of adults.
The following drugs should not be given to the child:
- Expectorants used to treat coughs. These drugs provoke the formation of mucus, and there is already a lot of it during an attack.
- Sedatives that reduce the depth of breathing, and this is absolutely contraindicated in an attack.
- Antibacterial drugs can be used in extreme cases and only when an infection is attached.
Comprehensive treatment
It is impossible to cure asthma in an adult. But you can alleviate the condition by choosing the right individual treatment, depending on:
- stage of the disease;
- clinical signs;
- the age of the patient.
Complex therapy includes several stages:
- Treatment aimed at eliminating provoking environmental factors.
- Symptomatic therapy.
- Breathing exercises.
- Patient education.
Drug therapy is used during periods of exacerbation. The attack passes after the timely use of the inhaler.
Getting rid of the provoking allergen is the main condition for therapy. It is important to minimize the negative effects of the irritant and make your life hypoallergenic. This is especially true for the bedroom, because carpets, pillows and blankets are concentrated here, which accumulate dust. It is necessary to ventilate the room daily.
Drug therapy is divided into factual and strategic.
It is carried out using the following means:
- Bronchodilators are short-acting drugs and are aimed at quickly stopping an attack. The remedy begins to act immediately after administration, and the effect lasts for 6 hours. The action is aimed at relaxing the muscles and reducing the likelihood of bronchospasm.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs. This includes non-hormonal and hormonal agents. If, using an inhaler, it is impossible to achieve improvement in the condition, oral medications are prescribed.
- Mucolytic agents allow to normalize bronchial secretion. Traditional medicine is widely used.
- Treatment without the use of medications is based on the use of the internal forces of the body to fight the disease.
Respiratory gymnastics is considered one of the highly effective methods of treatment.
Patients are registered with a local doctor who helps to follow the developed treatment plan. Therapy is selected individually for each patient, taking into account personal characteristics, indications and contraindications for the use of drugs.
Prevention of asthma exacerbations
Bronchial asthma is treated by minimizing or completely eliminating the provoking factor and drug therapy.
With the right approach, asthma can be prevented in a child.
A list of actions that will help with this:
- daily wet cleaning in the room to remove allergens;
- airing the premises for at least one hour;
- removal of carpets, soft toys and bedspreads from children’s rooms;
- soft toys are best washed in hot water or frozen in the refrigerator;
- getting rid of pets;
- using only hypoallergenic products for washing;
- the use of special dust-proof mattress covers and pillowcases;
- knocking out pillows;
- prevention of contact with pollen during flowering plants;
- taking drugs only as prescribed by a doctor.
If an asthma attack occurs, immediately consult a doctor for a comprehensive examination.
Forecasts
Each person is individual, therefore, the disease manifests itself in different ways. The signs are almost the same, but the severity of the course is different. The prognosis differs depending on the age category.
Can asthma go away in a child? Young children have the most favorable prognosis, since the protective properties of their body have not yet been formed.
Doctors say that children can outgrow this age when the disease is very difficult. Whether the child’s illness goes away depends on the therapy.
Sadly, adults have asthma forever. With proper therapy, she almost does not bother, and the person lives a full life, but a moment comes, and the symptoms make themselves felt.
Asthma does not go away without a trace, it leads to changes in the body, especially in the elderly. The prognosis directly depends on the form of the disease and lifestyle. A person needs to learn how to live correctly, doctors will tell you how to do it correctly.
With the development of allergic asthma in the elderly, the pathology is difficult.
Conclusion
On the question of asthma to be treated or not, it is impossible to find a definite answer. It all depends on the person himself and his life. Some live and do without seizures, and if it happens, they quickly stop the symptoms. Others become discouraged and aggravate the condition.
It is impossible to cure the disease, you can achieve its stable remission. If the attacks have receded and do not bother for several years, this is not a reason to put an aerosol out of your pocket. If the medicinal product has expired, you need to purchase a new cartridge.
When an attack occurs, it is important to immediately relieve the symptoms, if the aerosol is not at hand, it will be impossible to do this. A deterioration may occur which will require a full course of treatment. It is impossible to know when the seizure will occur. You always need to be prepared, because the aerosol is compact and fits easily into your pocket.