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Allergic (atopic) asthma

The immune system protects the human body from contact with harmful bacteria and viruses. Allergy leads to the fact that the body begins to fight even with harmless substances. This occurs due to a failure in the production of immunoglobulin. The level in the blood increases, and, consequently, increases the sensitivity to allergens due to the release of histamine.

Allergic asthma is the most common form of asthma, manifested by hypersensitivity of the respiratory system to some allergens. Inhaling the allergen, the body gets a signal about the stimulus that starts the reaction of the immune system, resulting in a sharp contraction of the muscles located around the Airways. This process is called bronchospasm. As a result, the muscles become inflamed and the body starts to produce mucus, thick and quite viscous.

Allergy – a disease of modernity. More than 90% children and 50% of the adult population of large cities suffer from allergic reactions.

Every person suffering from allergic asthma are experiencing approximately the same condition as when other types: deterioration of health due to physical exertion in the cold air, inhalation of tobacco smoke, dust or odors.

Allergens are quite common in the environment, so it is important to identify the primary stimuli, thereby to prevent the aggravation of symptoms and development of disease in a more severe form.

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The symptoms of allergic asthma

Symptoms of allergic asthma are associated primarily with respiratory tract, and represent the following features:

  • the appearance of cough;

  • breathing is accompanied by whistling;
  • there is a strong shortness of breath;
  • breaths become more frequent;
  • there are pain in the chest area;
  • chest feels a sense of tightness.

These are the basic symptoms which may cause any of the common allergens:

  • pollen (or pollen from trees and plants, for example,common poplar fluff);
  • particles mold spores;
  • the fur or saliva of animals (this category includes skin and feathers of birds);
  • the presence in the environment of the excrement of dust mites.

An allergic reaction can cause any exposure-irritant. For example, scratch will instantly cause a local itching and redness of the skin. In extreme cases, in contact with such substances in the human body can be a real danger, because maybe the rapid appearance of anaphylactic shock, which is a serious asthma attack.

The mechanism of development of atopic asthma can start not only allergens. They are able to cause an attack itself and not an allergic reaction.

Then the cause of the attack becomes nothing like being in the inhaled air particles-irritants:

  • tobacco smoke;
  • the smoke from the candles (including aromatic), fireplace or fireworks;
  • the polluted air;
  • cold air (i.e. physical activities in the fresh air);
  • odors chemicals and fumes;
  • perfume;
  • dust.

The severity of symptoms depends on the severity of the occurrence of atopic asthma: mild, moderate or severe.


Allergic asthma in children

The manifestation of allergic asthma in a child can be at different ages, but most often the disease affects the child's body after years of life. Allergic reactions of various etiologies is the main risk factor.

Atopic asthma in childhood has an unpleasant feature – it may be hiding symptoms of obstructive bronchitis. Being able to identify asthma by number of manifestations of the disease during the year. If the bronchial mast appear more than four times a year is a serious reason to consult a doctor, allergist or immunologist.

Specifics of treatment of atopic asthma in children is the overriding importance of inhalation as the primary means. Such procedures not only contribute to the elimination of the allergen that triggered the mechanism of the disease, but also increase the body's defenses.


Attack of allergic asthma

Under the attack of allergic asthma should understand such a reaction from the human immune system in which in response to allergen exposure appears bronchospasm. Itis an attack, as such, accompanied by reduction of muscle tissue surrounding the airway. As a result of such pathological conditions of the muscles become inflamed and filled with thick viscous mucus. This dramatically limits the flow of oxygen into the lungs.

To eliminate the attack of atopic Allergy requires a range of activities. First and foremost, they are directed on removal of symptoms. Calm and relaxed state during the attack – a necessary component, if a person begins to worry, the situation will only get worse. Slow breaths, a flow of fresh air (not cold), the horizontal position of the body to help cope with a bout of atopic asthma in a matter of minutes.

The ideal is to have the inhaler drug. Its use quickly removes suffocating attack and restores a smooth muscle of the respiratory system.

Status asthmaticus. It is extremely dangerous to human life is a form of manifestation of atopic asthma, in which asthma develops a condition called status asthmaticus. It is a time-consuming, not amenable to traditional treatment with drugs, asphyxiation, in which people are simply not able to exhale air. Developing such a condition with some clouding of consciousness until its complete loss. While overall health is extremely serious. The lack of adequate treatment can lead to disability and even death.

Treatment of allergic asthma

Treatment of atopic asthma should be under the supervision of a physician. Self-therapy medicines may aggravate the disease. This type of asthma is treated the same means that other forms of asthma, but important given the allergic nature of the disease.

Timely intake of antihistamines helps to reduce the symptoms and severity of atopic asthma. Modern pharmaceutical market offers a wide variety of such tools, so you can get any drug is not so difficult. Antihistamine effect is achieved by blocking the receptors, causing the release of histamine in the blood either completely absent or dose it so small that it does not cause any response.

If a situation arises where a meeting with the irritant cannot be avoided,you need to take an antihistamine in advance, then the probability of acute responses is greatly reduced.

In medicine there is a technique in which a substance-an allergen is injected into the human body. Gradually the dosage is increased. Since forming the susceptibility to a particular stimulus, thus the likelihood of allergies decreases.

The most common method of dealing with atopic asthma is the use of inhaled corticosteroids and blocker ?2-adrenergic long-acting. This is a basic therapy that promotes control over the course of the disease for a long time.

Antibodies-antagonists immunoglobulin E are the elimination of hypersensitivity of the bronchi and prevent the possible aggravation for quite a long time.

Group of medicines called Cremona actively used in the treatment of pediatric allergic asthma. However, in adults, the treatment of these assets does not bring the desired result.

Methylxanthine use during exacerbation of atopic asthma. They act very quickly, blocking the adrenergic receptors. The main substance of this group of drugs: epinephrine and oral glucocorticoid.

Amid all of drugs priority inhalation drugs, who, with the help of a special device to penetrate directly into the respiratory tract of a person suffering from atopic asthma. Thus there is instant healing effect. Besides inhalation without side effects, which often have medicines.

Allergic asthma can be treated, but the therapy needs to be designed to take into account the individual characteristics of the disease. It can be done by a qualified doctor, based on the data of the clinical picture of the disease and diagnostic tools. Delayed treatment or wrong built therapy leads to huge risk of development of pathological conditions in the body, resulting in atopic asthma can progress to a more severe form including death or disability.

In General, the prognosis with proper treatment is quite favourable. The main complications of atopic asthma include developing emphysema, lung and heart failure.

To date, no effective preventive measures that would completely eliminate the possibility of allergic asthma. The problem is solved only in the event of illness and reduced to the elimination of allergens and appropriate treatment, whose main task – to stabilize the disease and reduce the number of possible exacerbations.


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