Asthma

• what is asthma

  is a chronic lung disease and is caused by inflammation causing muscle to tighten on the airway making it harder to breath.
• wheezing

  this is mainly occurs to due to the muscle in the airway becoming narrower. as the muscles in the airway become inflamed causing the passageway to tighten. some external factors can also cause it to become triggered like exercise, cold weather or fragrance
• coughing

  due to the lings being irritated much easier from things like allergens like pollen or pet fur the body will produce more mucus to trap the irritant and will cough so it is able to get rid off it
• breathless

  if triggered is present the body will produce more mucus around the airway wall meaning it will become narrower causing the person to take more breaths. this is also made worse as the airway can also become inflamed meaning the airway will become even more narrower.
• FeNO(fractional exhaled nitric oxide) test

  this is when you breath into a machine which then measure you nitric oxide levels in your breath. if there is high amount of nitric oxide it is a sign of inflammation in the lungs.
• spirometry


  which is when you blow into a device that measure how fast you can breathe in and out. This will show your lung capacity meaning the amount of oxygen it can hold. If it is lower than normal it could be a sign that you have asthma
• peak flow test 


  a handheld device which measure how fast you can breathe out this test would be performed one or twice a day over a period of a couple week. The result will them be recorded to see the patients average which can help to determine if they have asthma or not
• allergy test

  to see if there are any specific trigger that could be make the symptoms worse.
• reliever inhaler

  These are normally blue and help to treat the symptoms when they occur and work in a few minutes. They work by giving the medicine in this case Salbutamol which relaxes the muscles by inhibiting the bronchial smooth muscle from contracting which means it will stop becoming inflamed meaning the airway is no longer narrow so they patient is able to breath properly. It is also given in a puffer form as it can be absorbed by the lungs much faster that way rather than taking tablets.
• preventer inhaler 


  This is used to prevent symptoms from occurring. It contains low dose of steroid medication which reduces the inflammation and sensitivity of the airway. It stop the inflammation as it inhibits genes that cause inflammation. There normally are not many symptoms but it can sometimes fungal infection of the mouth or throat or a sore throat.

  Some people might also have a combination of both the inhalers if your asthma is not under control 
• Multidisciplinary  team

  •Severe asthma is most effectively managed in a multidisciplinary setting. An experienced respiratory physician must confirm the diagnosis and prescribe management strategies. A specialist nurse can provide education, administer add-on therapies and coordinate disease management.An accredited respiratory scientist is required to conduct lung function assessment to confirm disease and determine disease phenotypes. A pharmacist can provide inhaler technique training and provide advice about concomitant medications.