| What's Asthma? Write in your own words after getting knowledge from the lesson post. |
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Asthma is a Chronic Lungs ailment that causes the airways to be narrow and inflamed thereby leading to sneezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and Cough. It's curable and can also be managed with adequate treatment and lifestyle.
| Types of Asthma |
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- Occupational Asthma
This is the type of Asthma that occurs as a result of frequent exposure to Substance in the workplace like Dusts, Fumes, Gases and Vapours. People who work in Manufacturing and Agricultural Industries are prone to developing this disease. These substances can cause the airways to narrow and swell, thereby leading to difficulty while breathing.
- Exercise induced Asthma
This type of Asthma can occur during rigorous exercise training.
- Conventional Asthma
This can also be called non-occupationl, this type of asthma is triggered by allergens.
| Causes of Asthma |
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- Genetics Causes
Someone is likely to develop Asthma, if it runs in the family.
- Air pollution
Constant exposure to air pollutants like nitrogen dioxide can make one to be prone to Asthma.
- Tobacco intake
Constant smoking of Tobacco, Cigarettes and cause Asthma.
- Hormonal changes
Women body changes alot, hormonal changes which occurs during pregnancy, menstruation and Menopause can cause Asthma.
| Symptoms of Asthma |
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- Shortness of breath
- Sneezing
- Blocked nose
- Coughing
- Chest tightness
| Treatment for Asthma |
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- Inhaler
Inhaler is consists of Bronchodilators which opens the airways very fast during Asthma attack.
- Oral Medication
Drugs like Corticosteroids helps to reduce inflammation in the airways of Asthma patients.
- Bronchodilators
This helps to relax the body and improve breathing.
- Environmental measures
Ensuring to avoid triggers like smoke, dust, pollutants.
- Routine medical checkups
Patients should also visit the Hospital regular in order to avoid complications.
| How would you diagnose a asthma? Any clinical investigation or assessment tests? |
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Asthma can be diagnosed through the following ways.
- Medical History
The Doctor would ask for If there is any history of Asthma in your family. He would go further to ask you if you're experiencing symptoms like difficulty in breathing, Chest pain, Sneezing, Chest tightening, shortness of breath and Coughing. He would also ask you when you started noticing this symptoms.
- Physical check
The Doctor would use his Stethoscope to examine your lungs to know if he would notice any abnormal sound.
The next thing is the Lungs function test which includes.
- Spirometry
This is common test used to diagnose Asthma. It involves measuring the amount of air you can quickly breathe in and breathe out inorder to determine your lungs function. It is performed with a machine called Spirometer device.
- Chest X-ray
This test helps to show abnormalities like heart ailments, Pneumonia, Lung infection that triggers Asthma.
- Exhaled Nitric Oxide test (FeNo)
This test is conducted in order to measure the amount of Nitric Oxide in your exhaled breath, this is because Asthmatic patients have high amount of this gas in their breath and this gas causes inflammation in the Lungs. This means that high amount of Nitric Oxide in exhaled breath shows Asthma.
- Bronchial Challenge test
This test is conducted to know if the lungs reacts to irritants during exercise. During the test, the Patient is asked to inhale a high amount of irritants, to know if they would start exhibiting Asthma symptoms.
- Skin prick test
This test is conducted by pricking small amount of allergen in the skin to know if the person will develop an Allergy like a red bump at the pricked place.
- Peak Expiratory flow (PEF) Meter
This is a tool used to determine how forcefully one can breath out air from the Lungs, this is because Asthmatic people have reduced Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) especially during attack.
| Try to practice at least 3 exercises that you have learned from the lesson. Share images, gifs or videos while practising. |
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- Pursed lips breathing
To perform this, I sat on the Floor, with my back straight and I started breathing in and out slowly. I did this for about 2 minutes.
- Diaphragmatic breathing Exercises
To carry this out, I placed one of my hands on my Chest, and the other one on my Stomach and then started breathing in and out. While doing that, I noticed that my Stomach rises while my Diaphragm descends. I did this for about 3 minutes.
- Chest stretches
I was standing up while performing this exercise. To do it, I leaned forward, raised up and stretched my hands and then, i started breathing in and out. I felt my breathing well.
| Share your review after performing these exercises either on yourself, healthy individual or patient. |
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I'm a healthy person and I'm not suffering from Asthma, but after carrying out the following exercises, I felt refreshed and relaxed. I noticed my breathing was a bit relaxed unlike when I started. I also felt a big relief in my lungs. So I can say that they was a maximum improvements in my breathing pattern. These exercises are really good for our breathing.
In conclusion, Asthma is a condition that can be managed properly. Thanks for reading through my post, I invite @ukpono, @chiagoziee and @m-fdo to participate in this contest.
Cc:
@ashkhan