Non-allergic asthma
Non-allergic is called asthma, which develops without contact with any allergen.
The most common non-allergic asthma occurs against the background of concomitant diseases of the respiratory tract. Patients and their relatives usually do not have a tendency to allergies.
Causes of non-allergic asthma:
- chronic respiratory tract infections (sinusitis, sinusitis, etc.).Asthma attacks result from acute or exacerbation of chronic inflammation of the respiratory organs. Even between attacks, most patients still have a cough. In some patients, the first attack of suffocation occurs after a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract, including influenza, and sometimes the disease in such situations becomes very severe.
- Neuropsychic load.Asthma attacks in the neuropsychiatric variant of bronchial asthma result from negative emotions, stress, amid a debilitating training or work load, disorders in the sexual sphere. Central nervous system lesions, injuries and diseases of the brain may have a certain meaning.
- Hormonal disorders in women before menstruation or in menopause.
- Taking certain medications (especially aspirin).The main manifestation of aspirin asthma is the development of asthma attacks as a reaction to taking aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs. Such patients also often do not tolerate tablets or food products colored yellow due to the dye that causes them to have an attack.
- Physical effort.The attack develops after physical work.
- Metabolic disorders of certain hormones and mediators (glucocorticoids , adrenaline, acetylcholine).
- Primary (from birth) altered bronchial reactivity.
Most often non-allergic asthma is more severe and longer than allergic.
Recommendations:
- avoid exacerbations of chronic infections and treat them in time;
- more often in the open air;
- avoid stress;
- do not take medicine that causes a seizure;
- to air rooms more often;
- choose work that is not related to chemicals and hard physical labor;
- do breathing exercises;
- drink alkaline sodium mineral water, for example Borjomi;
- take medications only on prescription.
For a light attack, hot drink, mustard plasters or cans will help.
Asthma with a predominance of the allergic component
If the cause of an asthma attack is the body’s reaction to an allergen, the disease is called asthma with a predominance of the allergic component.
If the cause of an asthma attack is the body’s reaction to any allergen (substance that causes allergies), then this disease is called asthma with a predominance of the allergic component or predominantly allergic asthma.
Risk factors:
- heredity;
- frequent presence in dusty and smoky rooms;
- propensityto occur allergies ;
- mother smoking during and after pregnancy.
Typical allergens:
- homemadedust ;
- pollenplants ;
- foodproducts ;
- medicinalfunds ;
- domestic animals( cats, dogs, etc.);
- productiondust ;
- various fungi, bacteria and parasites.
Often, allergic asthma is seasonal, which is associated with the flowering period of allergen plants. Strong odors, neuro-emotional overload, smoking, the common cold, and staying in polluted air can also trigger an asthma attack.
The entrepreneurial period may be accompanied by manifestations of allergic rhinitis, vegetative dystonia, urticaria, cough. Asthma attacks often develop at night or in the early morning hours.
Recommendations:
- more often in the open air;
- to replace down pillows and blankets with synthetic ones; to abandon wall carpets;
- change and boil bed linen weekly;
- to air rooms more often, to carry out wet cleaning;
- engagerespiratory gymnastics ;
- exclude products with high allergenic properties: citrus fruits, strawberries, nuts, peppers, mustard, chocolate, eggs, etc .;
- drink alkaline sodium mineral water, for example Borjomi;
- take medications on the advice of a doctor.
World Asthma Day
According to official data, there are about 300 million asthmatics in the world today. WHO believes that real numbers much more. Although medical science does not stand still, the disease does not become less. On the contrary, more and more days a year, the World Health Organization and the UN are devoting to the fight against this or that terrible disease. Previously, the most dangerous diseases for humans were infections – from anthrax and plague to the usual pneumonia. Then antibiotics and vaccines appeared, life expectancy and average income increased, and new diseases replaced the old ones.
There are infections among them: the day of the fight against AIDS is celebrated on December 1, and on March 24 the whole world fights against tuberculosis. No less humanity threaten non-communicable chronic diseases of the disease: November 14 is the day of diabetes, and on May 4 – the day to control asthma.
Asthmatics of all countries, unite
In 1989, the World Health Organization (WHO) organized a program “Global Initiative for Asthma» ( “The Global Initiative for Asthma ”- GINA). The goal of the program is to draw the attention of physicians and authorities to this disease, to improve the quality of medical care for asthmatics.Unlike AIDS or cancer, asthma is a disease with controlled mortality. It is mainly those who do not have the opportunity to receive quality medical care, including the Russians, who die from it.
In addition, asthma significantly impairs the quality of life of patients, often leads to disability. According to official data, there are about 300 million asthmatics in the world today. WHO believes that the real numbers are much higher. Every year on the planet the proportion of urban residents who breathe polluted air is growing, and after 20 years, as stated in the GINA report, the number of patients will increase by another 25 percent.
What to do?
In order to effectively combat asthma, according to GINA, it is necessary to ensure that the authorities of all states understand the economic damage caused by this disease. According to the organization, asthma is the cause of disability in 1 percent of cases. This indicator is quite high and is comparable to the level of disability from alcoholism, diabetes or schizophrenia. Thus, it is more profitable for the state to allocate funds for treatment and prevention of asthma, than to leave this problem aside.
A good example is the UK. The authorities of this country annually allocate almost a billion pounds to fight asthma. Meanwhile, not only the amount of funding is important, but also the correct distribution of these funds. First of all, according to GINA, asthma prevention is needed. To do this, reduce industrial air pollution, reduce the prevalence of smoking.
Secondly, it is necessary to select and implement the most effective methods of diagnosis and treatment. If in Western countries, asthmatics, as a rule, have access to modern medical technologies and medicines, in many poor countries this disease is not detected at all and does not cure.
Third, serious research is needed. According to the program participants, the causes of asthma are not fully established, and treatment methods are far from perfect.
Who is guilty?
50 and even more than 100 years ago, asthma practically did not exist. Now, as mentioned above, this disease has spread all over the planet, and researchers have figured out and continue to figure out why this happened.
One of the likely causes of ” asthmatization ” of humanity, doctors believe the emergence of antibiotics. Asthma, for example, can lead to several courses of antibiotic therapy of chronic bronchitis.
Smoking and taking certain medications during pregnancy increase the risk of asthma in a child.
For newborns, risk factors are improper feeding, high levels of allergens in the inhaled air, as well as vitamin deficiency and lack of certain trace elements.
Asthma is certainly associated with lifestyle. Moreover, risk factors are not only smoking and air pollution, but also overeating.
Сountdown
Some scientists, contrary to the data of most studies, believe that the prevalence of bronchial asthma and other allergic diseases tends to decrease. Such data, for example, was presented in 2002 at a conference of the European Respiratory Society in Stockholm by a group of researchers from the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Basel .
The Swiss scientists made their conclusions on the results of observations of more than two thousand teenagers over eight years. Researchers believe that the decrease in incidence is due to the fact that the Swiss have become less likely to smoke, as well as a decrease in other risk factors.
Of course, it is a pity that the incidence of asthma has decreased only in Switzerland and other highly developed countries. On the other hand, the Swiss have proven that combating asthma is really effective and therefore necessary.