Asthma attack
Definition :
During an asthma attack, also called an asthma exacerbation, your airways become swollen and inflamed. The muscles around the airways contract, causing your breathing (bronchial) tubes to narrow.
During an asthma attack, you may cough, wheeze and have trouble breathing. An asthma attack may be minor, with symptoms that get better with prompt home treatment, or it may be more serious. A severe asthma attack that doesn't improve with home treatment can become a life-threatening emergency.
The key to stopping an asthma attack is recognizing and treating an asthma flare-up early. Follow the treatment plan you worked out with your doctor ahead of time. This plan should include what to do when your asthma starts getting worse, and how to deal with an asthma attack in progress.
Symptoms:
Asthma attack symptoms include:
When to see the doctor
If your asthma flares up, immediately follow the treatment steps you and your doctor worked out ahead of time in your written asthma plan. If your symptoms and peak expiratory flow (PEF) readings improve, home treatment may be all that's needed. If your symptoms don't improve with home treatment, you may need to seek emergency care.
When your asthma symptoms flare up, follow your written asthma plan's instructions for using your quick-acting (rescue) inhaler. If you use a peak flow meter to monitor your asthma, PEF readings ranging from 50 to 79 percent of your personal best are a sign you need to use quick-acting (rescue) medications prescribed by your doctor.
Check asthma control steps with your doctor
Asthma can change over time, so you'll need periodic adjustments to your treatment plan to keep daily symptoms under control. If your asthma isn't well controlled, it increases your risk of future asthma attacks. Lingering lung inflammation means your asthma could flare up at any time.
Go to all scheduled doctor's appointments. If you have regular asthma flare-ups, low peak flow readings or other signs your asthma isn't well controlled, make an appointment to see your doctor.
When to seek emergency medical treatment
Seek medical attention right away if you have signs of a serious asthma attack, which include:
Causes:
An overly sensitive immune system makes your airways (bronchial tubes) become inflamed and swollen when you're exposed to certain triggers. Asthma triggers vary from person to person. Common asthma attack triggers include:
Complications:
Asthma attacks can be serious.
Treatments and drugs:
If you're having an asthma attack, follow the steps in the asthma plan you worked out with your doctor. If your symptoms don't improve, seek immediate medical care. Home treatment steps to stop an asthma attack generally include taking two to six puffs of albuterol (ProAir HFA, Ventolin HFA, others) or using other quick-acting medication over several minutes (don't take more than one puff at a time). Generally, less medication is needed for children and in adults with less severe symptoms.
If you use a peak flow meter to monitor your asthma, peak expiratory flow readings ranging from 50 to 79 percent of your personal best are a sign you need to use albuterol or other quick-acting (rescue) inhaler medication. Routinely checking your peak flow readings is important because your lung function may decrease before you notice any other signs or symptoms of worsening asthma.
Emergency treatment
If you go to the emergency room for an asthma attack in progress, you'll need medications to get your asthma under immediate control. These can include:
If your asthma symptoms don't improve after emergency treatment, your doctor may admit you to the hospital and give you medications every hour or every few hours. If you're having severe asthma symptoms, you may need to breathe oxygen through a mask. In some cases, a severe, persistent asthma attack requires a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU).
Definition :
During an asthma attack, also called an asthma exacerbation, your airways become swollen and inflamed. The muscles around the airways contract, causing your breathing (bronchial) tubes to narrow.
During an asthma attack, you may cough, wheeze and have trouble breathing. An asthma attack may be minor, with symptoms that get better with prompt home treatment, or it may be more serious. A severe asthma attack that doesn't improve with home treatment can become a life-threatening emergency.
The key to stopping an asthma attack is recognizing and treating an asthma flare-up early. Follow the treatment plan you worked out with your doctor ahead of time. This plan should include what to do when your asthma starts getting worse, and how to deal with an asthma attack in progress.
Symptoms:
Asthma attack symptoms include:
- Severe shortness of breath, chest tightness or pain, and coughing or wheezing
- Low peak expiratory flow (PEF) readings, if you use a peak flow meter
- Worsening symptoms despite use of a quick-relief (rescue) inhaler
When to see the doctor
If your asthma flares up, immediately follow the treatment steps you and your doctor worked out ahead of time in your written asthma plan. If your symptoms and peak expiratory flow (PEF) readings improve, home treatment may be all that's needed. If your symptoms don't improve with home treatment, you may need to seek emergency care.
When your asthma symptoms flare up, follow your written asthma plan's instructions for using your quick-acting (rescue) inhaler. If you use a peak flow meter to monitor your asthma, PEF readings ranging from 50 to 79 percent of your personal best are a sign you need to use quick-acting (rescue) medications prescribed by your doctor.
Check asthma control steps with your doctor
Asthma can change over time, so you'll need periodic adjustments to your treatment plan to keep daily symptoms under control. If your asthma isn't well controlled, it increases your risk of future asthma attacks. Lingering lung inflammation means your asthma could flare up at any time.
Go to all scheduled doctor's appointments. If you have regular asthma flare-ups, low peak flow readings or other signs your asthma isn't well controlled, make an appointment to see your doctor.
When to seek emergency medical treatment
Seek medical attention right away if you have signs of a serious asthma attack, which include:
- Severe breathlessness or wheezing, especially at night or in the early morning
- Inability to speak more than short phrases due to shortness of breath
- Straining chest muscles to breathe
- Low peak flow readings when you use a peak flow meter
Causes:
An overly sensitive immune system makes your airways (bronchial tubes) become inflamed and swollen when you're exposed to certain triggers. Asthma triggers vary from person to person. Common asthma attack triggers include:
- Pollen, pets, mold and dust mites
- Upper respiratory infections
- Tobacco smoke
- Exercise
- Inhaling cold, dry air
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
Complications:
Asthma attacks can be serious.
- Asthma attacks can interrupt everyday activities such as sleep, school, work and exercise, causing a significant impact on your quality of life — and can disrupt the lives of those around you.
- Serious asthma attacks mean you're likely to need trips to the emergency room, which can be stressful and costly.
- A very severe asthma attack can lead to respiratory arrest and death.
Treatments and drugs:
If you're having an asthma attack, follow the steps in the asthma plan you worked out with your doctor. If your symptoms don't improve, seek immediate medical care. Home treatment steps to stop an asthma attack generally include taking two to six puffs of albuterol (ProAir HFA, Ventolin HFA, others) or using other quick-acting medication over several minutes (don't take more than one puff at a time). Generally, less medication is needed for children and in adults with less severe symptoms.
If you use a peak flow meter to monitor your asthma, peak expiratory flow readings ranging from 50 to 79 percent of your personal best are a sign you need to use albuterol or other quick-acting (rescue) inhaler medication. Routinely checking your peak flow readings is important because your lung function may decrease before you notice any other signs or symptoms of worsening asthma.
Emergency treatment
If you go to the emergency room for an asthma attack in progress, you'll need medications to get your asthma under immediate control. These can include:
- Short-acting beta agonists, such as albuterol.
These medications are the same medications as those in your quick-acting
(rescue) inhaler. You may need to use a machine called a nebulizer,
which turns the medication into a mist that can be inhaled deep into
your lungs.
- Oral corticosteroids. Taken in pill form, these
medications help reduce lung inflammation and get your asthma symptoms
under control. For more-severe asthma attacks, corticosteroids can be
given intravenously.
- Ipratropium (Atrovent). Ipratropium is sometimes
used as a bronchodilator to treat a severe asthma attack, especially if
albuterol is not fully effective.
- Intubation, mechanical ventilation and oxygen. If your asthma attack is life-threatening, your doctor may put a breathing tube down your throat into your upper airway. Using a machine that pumps oxygen into your lungs will help you breathe while your doctor gives you medications to get your asthma under control.
If your asthma symptoms don't improve after emergency treatment, your doctor may admit you to the hospital and give you medications every hour or every few hours. If you're having severe asthma symptoms, you may need to breathe oxygen through a mask. In some cases, a severe, persistent asthma attack requires a stay in the intensive care unit (ICU).
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