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Bronchial asthma
Does bronchial asthma have wheezing sounds?
During an acute attack of bronchial asthma, patients often have wheezing sounds in their lungs, but it's important to note that some patients may not exhibit wheezing, such as those with chest tightness or cough variant asthma, who only show symptoms of chest tightness and typically do not have wheezing on auscultation. However, administering inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators can relieve their condition. Additionally, during a severe acute attack of bronchial asthma, severe airway spasms can occur, leading to a situation where the patient might not have any wheezing sounds, a condition referred to as "silent lung." In such cases, patients often experience difficulty breathing or even respiratory distress, which is usually quite serious and requires active intervention.
Is bronchial asthma dangerous?
Whether bronchial asthma is dangerous depends on the severity of the condition during an acute asthma attack. The most common symptoms of asthma are episodic breathing difficulties, chest tightness, or coughing. If the patient experiences only mild breathing difficulties during an acute attack, it may resolve on its own without posing a life-threatening risk. However, if it is a severe asthma attack, such as the patient being unable to speak, experiencing drowsiness, consciousness disorders, even showing paradoxical movement, weakened wheezing sounds, or even an absence of breathing sounds, then there may be a life-threatening risk if immediate and aggressive rescue measures are not taken.
How to treat bronchial asthma?
After the onset of bronchial asthma, it is necessary to carry out active treatment. In clinical practice, the following categories of bronchodilator drugs are mainly used: The first is adrenergic receptor agonists, such as salbutamol and terbutaline; the second is anticholinergic drugs, mainly tiotropium bromide; the third category is xanthine drugs, which can include aminophylline or doxophylline. Additionally, glucocorticoids can be used for pharmacological treatment. If the patient still has recurrent attacks after systemic treatment, hospitalization is recommended for further management.
Can bronchial asthma be treated with nebulization?
Patients with bronchial asthma can undergo nebulization, especially pediatric asthma patients who are more suited for nebulizer therapy. Nebulization inhalation is currently a safe and effective method for treating childhood asthma and is listed by the World Health Organization as the first choice for global asthma prevention and treatment. For severe asthma during acute exacerbations and attack periods, nebulization therapy is not recommended. When using nebulization therapy, it is important to regularly disinfect the nebulizer and replace it periodically. During severe bronchospasm, it is important to avoid using excessive doses of receptor agonists, and care should be taken to avoid too low drug concentrations during nebulization, as it is not conducive to the effectiveness of the treatment.
Prevention and Treatment of Bronchial Asthma
The prevention and treatment of bronchial asthma mainly involve the following aspects: First, eliminating the causes and triggers of the disease; second, preventing diseases and pests such as allergic rhinitis and gastroesophageal reflux disease; third, immunomodulation; fourth, routinely checking if inhaled medications are used correctly; fifth, education and management of asthma patients, mainly allowing them through long-term, appropriate, and sufficient treatment to fully and effectively control asthma attacks. Additionally, understanding individual differences in asthma triggers to avoid occurrences, learning patient self-monitoring of disease progression, mastering the use of inhalers and peak flow meters, and educating patients on simple self-help methods are essential. It's important for patients and doctors to jointly develop a plan to prevent asthma attacks and maintain long-term stability. These are the basic elements of the prevention and treatment of bronchial asthma.
Which department should I go to for bronchial asthma?
In our common areas, we would visit the Department of Respiratory Medicine for conditions such as bronchial asthma, which is a respiratory system disease. The Department of Respiratory Medicine is the most specialized department for treating bronchial asthma. However, in some areas, such as those below the county level like town health centers or community clinics, a respiratory medicine department might not be available. In such cases, we can only visit the general internal medicine department, also known as the major internal medicine department. Generally, bronchial asthma is treated in the outpatient clinics of these departments. However, if an acute attack of bronchial asthma occurs, causing breathing difficulties and a sudden exacerbation of the condition, it then becomes necessary to visit the emergency medicine department. Emergency doctors will handle the situation and then decide whether the patient should continue treatment under observation in the emergency department or need hospitalization, etc.
What medicine is used for bronchial asthma?
Bronchial asthma, although common, currently has no specific treatment. The primary aim of medication is to control symptoms. There are two main types of medications used to treat asthma: one type is known as bronchodilators, commonly including receptor agonists, anticholinergics, and theophylline. The other type is anti-inflammatory drugs, commonly including corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, sodium cromoglycate, nedocromil sodium, and ketotifen. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor, according to specific circumstances.)
Is bronchial asthma curable?
Bronchial asthma is treatable, although so far we have not found a cure for bronchial asthma, bronchial asthma can be well controlled in most patients if treated in a standard way at regular hospitals, preventing recurrent asthma attacks. However, if the treatment of bronchial asthma is unstandardized, or if one relies on folk remedies or traditional secret recipes and does not receive standardized treatment at a regular hospital, it may lead to recurrent asthma attacks and extremely poor prognosis.
Is it okay to take Chinese medicine for bronchial asthma?
Bronchial asthma can be treated with traditional Chinese medicine, but it is definitely not feasible to treat bronchial asthma only with Chinese medicine without Western medicine. Modern medicine still primarily uses Western medicine, which is the mainstream. Traditional Chinese medicine serves as an auxiliary treatment. Bronchial asthma is a recurrent disease that needs standardized treatment to be controlled. Currently, many unscrupulous businesses are exploiting the banner of traditional Chinese medicine or some ancestral secret formulas to provide non-standard treatments to patients with bronchial asthma, which may contain corticosteroids. Long-term oral intake of their herbal medicines might control bronchial asthma in the short term, but such long-term treatments are definitely non-standard and will lead to future difficulties in controlling the asthma. Therefore, patients with bronchial asthma must receive standardized Western medical treatment and can use traditional Chinese medicine as an auxiliary treatment, but it must be provided by a formal hospital.
Bronchial asthma auscultation characteristics
During a recurrence of bronchial asthma, symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing occur. During an attack, the patient's chest often appears hyperinflated. Upon auscultation, scattered or diffuse wheezing sounds can be heard, primarily during expiration, and the expiration phase is also prolonged. However, in some severe asthma cases, wheezing sounds may not be present, a condition referred to as "silent chest," which should be noted. If an asthma attack cannot be relieved, it is important to seek medical attention promptly for management by a doctor.