Long acting beta2 agonists

Symbicort is a combination medication

In the management of asthma, long-term control of symptoms is vital. If not, patients will have to suffer frequent bouts of asthma attacks and may require frequent hospital admissions. At the same time, the quality of life among such patients will also diminish. Long acting beta2 agonists is one drug that can help relieve moderate to severe persistent asthma although it should not be used alone but only in combination with a corticosteroids.

Short acting Beta2 agonists

Ventolin inhalers are commonly used

Beta2 agonists are known to be the ‘relievers’ of acute asthma attacks and is the first choice when it comes to managing asthmatic attacks. It is also useful in managing intermittent asthma symptoms as well as asthma that may result following exercises. 

How does short-acting beta2 agonists work?

Theopylline and asthma

Theophylline is one of the groups of medications used for managing asthma symptoms and it is available as short-acting and long-acting forms. It acts on the smooth muscles surrounding the airways and will help them relax leading to a dilation of the bronchial lumen. Apart from the shortness of breath and chest tightness caused by asthma, theophylline is also useful in managing similar symptoms caused by chronic bronchitis, emphysema and other lung diseases.

Effective Bronchodilators for asthma

Salbutamol is one of the short-acting bronchodilators

Bronchodilators as their name suggest are drugs, which are capable of dilating the air passages within the lungs. Thus, these medications are helpful in managing bronchial narrowing which will take place during an asthmatic attack or else to prevent such occurrences among susceptible individuals. However, not all bronchodilators are alike and according to their speed of action, there are two categories of bronchodilators, which are the short-acting ones, and the long-acting bronchodilators. 

Oral steroids for asthma

Oral steroids are used to treat severe asthma

Oral steroids such as prednisone are used to treat asthma and act much in the same way as inhaled corticosteroids. However, given its route and the strength of the dosing, oral prednisone will be absorbed systemically and will have a greater influence on the other body organs and systems than it would be with inhaled corticosteroids. Therefore, the use of prednisone and other oral steroids are limited to instances of acute and severe attacks of asthma and is given in short bursts no more than 2 weeks at a time.

Inhaled corticosteroids for asthma

Inhaled corticosteroids are highly useful to control asthma

The medications including the group inhaled corticosteroids that you have been prescribed to control your asthma may be different to the medications used by someone else. The reason being that the type and the frequency of the medications used will be determined by the doctors based on the patients’ age, sex, severity of the asthma symptoms, general wellbeing, control of asthma symptoms, compliance as well as on the potential for side effects. Doctors may have to change the dosage and review the treatment plan from time to time in order to arrive at the best possible combination.

Asthma medications explained

Asthma medications include many different varieties

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the lungs and the airways. It is characterized by the presence of decreased airflow from time to time, production of mucus and cough. Thus, the main aim of the medications used to control this disease should be to reduce the inflammation within the respiratory system and maintain the patency of the air passages without allowing them to narrow or be blocked with mucus from time to time. However, there isn’t a medication that can completely wipe off asthma yet, and it is essential that those who are suffering from asthma understand and utilize the most appropriate medications without missing too many doses throughout their lives.

Obstructive sleep apnea and daytime-fatigue

Obstructive sleep apnea can lead to daytime fatigue

Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the commonest types of sleep apnea that could affect your overall health. In some instances, it can be very serious although in most instances, the problem can be relieved through simple life style adjustments. 
 

The underlying problem in obstructive sleep apnea is the excessive relaxation of the muscles in the back of your throat, which are expected to support the structures surrounding the airway entry. 

Problems in the lungs causing breathlessness explained

Breathlessness can be a direct manifestation of causes in the lungs

Breathlessness is a common symptom in many different disorders related to the lungs, airways, circulation and other bodily systems. Some of these causes are benign while some are very serious. Similarly, the breathlessness caused by different disorders can also vary in intensity. 

However, the intensity of the breathlessness does not necessarily indicate the seriousness of the underlying problem. In any event, it is important for anyone suffering from breathlessness to understand what causes his or her breathlessness. 

Breathlessness and pregnancy

breathless feeling is common in pregnancy

Breathlessness or the feeling of inadequate oxygen intake is a normal feeling during pregnancy. It may not cause any harm or inconvenience to most pregnant mothers although for some, it may give a tough time. However, if you or your loved one experiences such manifestations during pregnancy, you may find it easier if you know why pregnant women feel the way they do. At the same time, knowing what is normal during pregnancy would enable you to recognize what is abnormal before it becomes complicated.

During the early parts of the pregnancy, it is natural to feel as if there is a need to breathe more consciously. However, many pregnant women do not feel this way and perhaps in others, the feeling is more psychological than physiological. 

Why do women feel more short of breath than men during exercise?

Men and women show different exercise tolerance

Through experience, it has been recognized that females are more prone to feel tired or breathless than men of same age during exercises. However, scientists were not so clear about what made females feel greater breathlessness than men and many theories were formulated around this phenomenon. 

At times, it has been postulated that the smaller lung capacity per se may be the reason for this manifestation. However, a recent research study concluded that the difference observed between men and women was actually because of the electrical activities taking place within the respiratory muscles that were different between the two genders. 

How to manage asthma symptoms during the winter

Winter months can be rather tricky on asthmatics as it usually triggers at least a mild asthma attack among many such persons. However, if you are careful enough, you can prevent a major asthmatic attack of catastrophic nature without having to leave your home. 

Winter months can play tricks on asthmatic patients and cause SOB from time to time

Exercise induced shortness of breath is not always Asthma

Exercise-induced asthma like symptoms may not be asthma after all

For many years, medical practitioners thought that the significant shortness of breath experienced after some amount of exercise was mainly due to exacerbation of asthma. However, recent research suggests that this was not the case. In fact, the commonest reason for people to demonstrate asthma like symptoms is reaching their natural limits of stamina and not any medical disorders.

The link between heart attacks, shortness of breath and winter holidays

The winter holidays can be a hectic time period. It is a time where emotions can run high as families come together and friends meet. It is also a time where emotions can run very low, as some people may have to spend the time alone. In any event, winter holidays can be tough for the mind and the body and such stress can lead to derailment of some of the bodily functions as well.

Your eating habits and breathing

Your eating habits will affect your breathing

Although we do not pay much attention to the link between our eating habits and breathing, for those who have compromised lungs, it can be a significant association. In such instances, unless proper dietary precautions are followed, the quality of life could also suffer as a consequence. At the same time, being afraid of eating as a result of shortness of breath is also bad in such patients. It can form a vicious cycle and therefore can lead to a deteriorating health status.

Why anxiety or panic attacks lead to rapid breathing?

Panic attacks and SOB

You might have seen or might have experienced yourself the distress when breathing during an anxiety attack. Although the feeling is not arising out of any abnormality within the system, it can feel as if you are being suffocated and that you are not getting enough air to breathe. Your heart will start to pound hard and you imagine that you are going to die if you do not get enough air. At times, you may even feel a chest pain along with a light-headedness and weakness in your legs and arms. 

All this is because of the rapid breathing or in other words, due to the hyperventilation.

Asthma triggers during winter holidays

Winter holidays can expose you to new allergens

With the winter holidays just around the corner, many of us are in a joyous mood. This is a time where we get to enjoy various Christmas foods, which we do not usually eat throughout the year. We also decorate our homes and keeps the best possible Christmas tree that we can find in the middle of our house.   

Not only these, we also tend to enjoy the wintery weather and if snow is around, it will be double the fun. In places where there isn’t any snow, artificial snow machines are working 24hrs a day to bring that snowy Christmas spirit or at times, we tend to use such machines inside our homes as well.

The link between obesity and asthma

Obesity is a global issue which also links with SOB

If you are suffering from obesity and asthma, it may be probable that the two are linked either directly or indirectly. While researchers have recognized obese people are more prone to develop asthma, you should not be worried about asthmatics being more prone to develop obesity, as yet! In any event, if you are a overweight or obese individual, it is worthwhile to known how the two conditions are linked as it may be useful in the long-term management of both conditions.

Stomach acids and shortness of breath

The 'gate' between the esophagus and the stomach prevent acids spills

Have you ever felt that someone is strangling your throat as soon as you go to sleep in the night? Did such feelings wake you up? Does it recur? Does waking up relieves you of the stressful breathing? Then the answer might be that you are suffering from a condition known as ‘gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), or in simple terms, regurgitation of stomach acids. 

How do you measure your breathlessness?

Dyspnoea scale - NICE guidelines

When we become breathless, most of the time we know why we felt the way we did. However, at times, we may feel breathlessness, which cannot be associated with the degree of exertion we have just performed. In such instances, it is likely that the breathlessness is associated with some kind of bodily disorder. If that is the case, breathlessness itself can be used as a measure of worsening or improvement of the said condition in most instances.

Improving shortness of breath by positioning the body

Patients with COPD will require special positioning of the body to breath easily

You may have seen people trying to catch breath after doing some activity or else after an emotional high. While being breathless is a normal occurrence following any rigorous activity, some health conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can severely disrupt a persons’ ability to tolerate stress.

Common and uncommon causes of long-term shortness of breath

Difficulty in breathing can have many different reasons

When someone experience shortness of breath (SOB) for the first time or as a sudden occurrence, it can definitely be a frightening experience. However, when the shortness of breath is a common occurrence, at regular intervals, people tend to consider it a daily nuisance. You or one of your loved ones may be experiencing a similar problem and you may wonder, what exactly is causing this shortness of breath?

I have come across many patients who are suffering from SOB for most part of their lives and at times, they have not even considered that it may indeed be a medical issue. For instance, the SOB that results from a gradual depletion of red blood cells in the circulation, which is commonly known as ‘anemia’, might not even get noticed until late.