Asthma Attack

With asthma, the underlying problem in an asthma attack is an inflammation of the lining of the airways. This causes narrowing of the airways and leads to spasms in the surrounding muscles; plus swelling and the production of excess mucus. One or more factors, called "triggers," can provoke an asthma attack. Triggers of an asthma attack include: infections, physical over-exertion, and emotional factors; and exposure to allergens (i.e., pollen, animal dander), irritants (i.e., chalk dust, smoke, pesticides), and strong odours (i.e., some personal care products). They all can affect the airways and spark an asthma attack.

For asthma sufferers it is important to educate family and friends to recognize the signs of an asthma attack. They should be looking for wheezing, shortness of breath, excessive coughing and a pale sweaty face. Also, where a young sufferers are involved, school staff need to be trained how to help a child stop an impending asthma attack by encouraging relaxation and deep breathing to assist the airways. Furthermore, they should be able to quickly determine whether professional medical help is needed and get it rapidly. A typically severe asthma attack might include any of the following: Difficulty in completing sentences in one breath; Extreme discomfort in breathing; Very fast pulse; Peak flows reading less than half the usual level; Blue discolouration of the lips or tongue.

An asthma attack will often be unpredictable and being a variable condition, it can take a combination of unexpected circumstances to spark off an attack. An individual could be allergic to a cat or dog, but 9 times out of 10 wouldn’t have an asthma attack in the presence of one. However, on another occasion, if there stress levels are high, or they’ve been ill with a cold or such like, this could be enough to affect the airways and trigger an attack. It is always better to be safe than sorry; so seeking advise early should always be the recommendation. If you leave it until the attack has worsened, the more difficult it will be to treat.