Today is World Asthma Day, which is celebrated on the first Tuesday of every May. The aim of the world day is to raise awareness of the incidence of the disease, as well as to inform about the possibilities of leading a healthy life despite being asthmatic.
Asthma is a chronic pathology caused by inflammation of the airways, which produces effects such as coughing or difficulty in breathing. To delve a little deeper into the disease, we talked to a leading specialist in Pneumology, Dr. Felipe Villar Álvarez, member of Top Doctors.
What is asthma?
Asthma is an inflammatory disease that occurs at the level of the airways and can be identified by different symptoms:
- Cough.
- Dyspnea or shortness of breath.
- Other associated symptoms, such as wheezing.
These signs can be triggered intrinsically, i.e. by a pulmonary inflammation problem. On the other hand, it can also be due to extrinsic reasons, such as allergic events (patients with allergies to pollen, mites, certain animals, etc.).
Likewise, there are also recent studies that relate the appearance of asthma in children to obesity or different problems related to the mother (e.g., smoking). On the other hand, in adults it is usually more related to allergic reasons.
Is asthma more frequent in children?
Patients usually have a long history of asthma, so it is more likely to be detected at an infantile or juvenile age.
This does not mean that cases of asthma are not identified in adults, since it may be that a proper diagnosis was not made initially or that the symptoms have increased with age.
What does the treatment of asthma consist of?
First of all, it should be noted that, if the asthma is caused by allergic reasons, we should try to avoid this trigger.
On the other hand, in other types of asthma, for example, caused by intrinsic reasons, with patients with signs such as coughing or wheezing, the treatment to be done is with corticosteroids.
Generally, inhaled corticosteroids are started and, if these are not sufficient to control the asthma, bronchodilators are added. Usually their combination in the same device is effective in controlling asthma. If this is not possible, there are other options such as oral corticosteroids.
How to differentiate asthma symptoms with Covid-19?
Indeed, there are some allergic symptoms that can be confused. To distinguish between asthmatic and coronavirus patients we can look at the following:
- Fever.
- Cough.
- Loss of smell or taste.
- Expectoration.
- Pain in joints or muscles.
- Adenitis or conjunctivitis, much more frequent in allergic patients.
Dyspnea can confuse us, although it is true that in asthmatic patients it is usually accompanied by wheezing or chest pain, which could help us to distinguish the patient from a patient with coronavirus.
Normally, asthmatic patients with a long history usually know how to distinguish an asthmatic crisis from a viral infection. Even so, we should pay attention to the symptoms mentioned above.
Should asthmatic patients take any additional precautions during the pandemic?
In principle, they should follow the same precautions as any patient with chronic respiratory disease:
- Use of mask.
- Avoid closed places.
- Avoid crowded places.
- Avoid contact with patients with symptoms.
Vaccination against Covid-19
Patients with asthma should be vaccinated against Covid-19, without any fear. Patients with severe asthma are considered a “priority group” and, in case of any doubt, they can consult their primary care physician or the Pneumology Department of the Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz.