Asthma treatment and its challenges:
Asthma is a condition where the airway is inflammed due to various allergic stimulation.
This leads to airway narrowing and hence symptoms of cough, breathlessness, chest tightness , congestion.
Repeated episodes may lead to long term permanent muscle hypertrophic of airway, airway wall edema, and progressive lung function decline.
Treatment options include inhalers, antiallergic medications, in severe cases oral steroids and targeted therapies.
Myths and facts:
- Inhalers leads to addiction:
Facts: there is no medication in inhaler that can lead to addiction
The medications act locally to decrease inflammation and allergic reaction, and prevents long term lung function decline - Inhalers are only taken by older people:
Facts: Asthma is a disease of the young and inhaler is the treatment of choice
It is not that only if you are old that u need inhalers - Once you are diagnosed with asthma you cannot do heavy physical activities:
Facts: many athletes and medalist are asthmatics
With inhalers they can do all the physical activities as normal - Oral drugs are better than inhalers:
Facts: Inhalers act locally, and drugs can be given in very low doses with minimal systemic effects
Oral drugs have to be given in higher doses and have greater systemic side effects - Inhaler steroids can cause lot of side effects:
Facts:
Dosage of steroids is very minimal in inhaled forms, they have minimal systemic absorption and hence the side effect potential is less. As they decrease inflammation locally, they are known to decrease lung function decline in long run
So inhalers are your friends if you are suffering from Asthma!