Who has severe asthma and how it is diagnosed? Severe asthma is defined as someone diagnosed with asthma requiring medium or high-dose inhaled corticosteroids combined with other longer-acting medications.
Asthma is also considered severe when it is uncontrolled despite proper use of these medications. Individuals who suffer from severe uncontrolled asthma experience symptoms throughout most days and every night. These patients often require the frequent use of inhaled medications or even daily oral steroids to provide rescue from their asthma symptoms. Patients with severe asthma often demonstrate significant reduction of their lung function when tested by spirometry or a pulmonary function test PFT.
What are my treatment options? This is why it's important to follow your treatment plan and not ignore your symptoms if they're getting worse. There's also a risk of severe asthma attacks, which can be life threatening. Page last reviewed: 19 April Next review due: 19 April Video: Asthma Animated video about asthma, which is a chronic condition affecting the lungs.
Media last reviewed: 1 May Media review due: 1 May This lack of response to medications is known as therapy-resistant asthma. It may be because your asthma has become resistant to corticosteroids or other medications used to treat asthma.
They will check to see if you have other conditions that may be mimicking asthma, such as angina and heart failure. They will also examine you for complications of severe asthma, such as chronic infections and allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. If you have severe asthma, your doctor will work with you to develop a treatment plan. This may include medications and lifestyle changes, along with natural treatments. The medications listed above may be used alone or in combination to try to get your severe asthma under control.
More research is needed for many alternative treatments and their effects on severe asthma symptoms. The symptoms of a severe asthma attack can include:. If you or your child is having symptoms of a severe asthma attack, you should call for immediate medical attention.
Severe asthma attacks can lead to respiratory failure, which is a life-threatening condition. A report suggested a link between obesity and asthma. The focus of asthma treatment is to control the symptoms. This includes managing the underlying airway inflammation , minimizing the risk of future attacks, and preventing lung damage.
People with severe asthma need to take medications more frequently and in stronger dosages than people with mild asthma.
Speak to a doctor to find out the best way to manage specific symptoms. If a person has a severe asthma attack, they should go to the hospital right away. According to asthma experts , the best way to reduce the risk of severe attacks and uncontrolled symptoms is to avoid triggers as much as possible and to take prescribed treatments. The main quick-relief asthma medications are selective short-acting beta 2-agonists. A person takes this type of medication when asthma symptoms occur.
For long-term controller therapy, doctors recommend daily drugs to prevent asthma flares. Inhaled corticosteroids are among the most effective long-term asthma medications. Inhaled corticosteroids can have side effects, including oral thrush , which is a yeast infection that develops in the mouth. A person can protect against thrush by rinsing their mouth after using the inhaler.
While most cases of asthma respond well or adequately to treatment, severe asthma does not respond sufficiently to the usual treatment options. People with severe asthma should do their best to avoid triggers.
Also, working with a doctor will help identify the most effective treatments. Many people ask how, why, and when to use nebulizers, how to take care of them, and how they differ from inhalers. Read on for the answers to these….
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