Not all wheezes require an asthma inhaler
Posted: 13th January 2018 | Posted by Costa
Not all wheezes require an asthma inhaler
Have you ever felt like you have itchy lungs and that you are gasping for breath? If you do and you haven’t been diagnosed, the chances are you may have asthma. This ailment can make you feel like you are unable to breathe. Almost as if you are drowning in a swimming pool. Fear not; you’re not alone. Asthma is recognised as a massive public health problem and is becoming one of the world’s most common diseases. Currently, it affects 300 million people worldwide with that looking to jump up well over an additional 100 million within the next decade. Most people think this means you’ll be travelling with an inhaler for the rest of your life.
It’s a little-known fact that not all cases of asthma are the same. In fact, there are two major types that have sub-categories of their own: allergic and non-allergic asthma.
Non-allergic Asthma
Roughly one-third of those who have asthma have this condition as a result of a viral infection or through other irritants. Some examples may include:
- Glucocorticoids resistant asthma
- Occupational asthma
- Nocturnal asthma
- Environmental tobacco smoke
- Exercise-induced asthma (EIA)
- Cough variant asthma
- Medication-induced asthma
Regardless of the type of asthma you have, it’s easily recognisable by a number of characteristics. A cough that, no matter what, you cannot shake; regularly finding yourself with a tight chest; seemingly unnecessary shortness of breath; and, of course, wheezing. It’s incredibly important to remember that not every wheeze you have means you have asthma. Nor does it necessarily require an inhaler. Some other conditions replicate the same symptoms so if you feel you may be suffering from the disease, it’s a good idea to speak to a GP first.
Allergic Asthma
While the symptoms of asthma are the same, the treatments are all different depending on the type affecting you, and so it’s essential you find out the right kind you have so that you can get to the root of the problem efficiently. This is especially true for allergic asthma, which makes up almost 60% of asthma cases: put into perspective, that’s around 180 million sufferers worldwide.
Allergic asthma is triggered by allergens and provokes the typical asthma symptoms as well as airway obstruction. Common triggers might be allergens such as pets, dust mites, pollen, or mould. Naturally, your immune system is designed to fight back against infection, but if you have allergic asthma, instead overreacts to these triggers and thus leaves you with asthma symptoms. In this case, it’s vital to identify precisely what your triggers are so that you can begin to start a course of treatment targeting that specific allergen.
The process of determining your triggers is simple and straightforward. An initial allergy diagnosis will need to be made by an allergy consultant by doing an IgE test (blood test i.e ISAC) or conducting a skin prick allergy test to determine what you are allergic to. Once established, you can begin to look at the immunotherapy options available to you. To book an appointment with one of our consultants, you can go straight to our booking form to arrange a time and date that suits you.