...can be a life threatening event for both the mother and the unborn child. It is vital that you armed yourself with such knowledge to protect your loved ones who are in this traumatic experience in their life.
Suffering from asthma can be a source of additional stress for any pregnant woman. Besides the burden of pregnancy itself, she also has to watch her own medical condition. Here a few tips to help take care of any pregnant woman suffering from asthma.
Assign a caretaker
It is highly recommended that she be assigned a caretaker. This can be in a form of a hired caretaker or any close relatives. The best if the caretaker is a family member that lives under the same roof as the pregnant woman. As responsibility of a caretaker, your job is to watch over and know the necessary steps in the event of an emergency.
Take her asthma medication regularly
Ensure that the pregnant woman takes her medication regularly. Provided that the medication has already been deemed safe for her and her fetus by her physician, she has no reason to stop her course of medication. Taking medication is important as it reduce any risk for complicated pregnancies. Many pregnant women reduce or stop taking their medication for fear that the medication will harm their fetus. You must also give her any physical support if she starts to suffer from any side effects of her asthma medication.
Have a good home environment
Ensure that you clean your house often and is dust free. Indoor pollution can be 10 times more polluted than outdoors if the house is not clean often. It is not the materials itself that will caused asthmatics are allergic to but the bacteria that can grow on them that can cause allergic attacks if left unclean.
Change her bed sheets regularly, preferably at least once a week. When vacuuming the entire house, make sure to use a vacuum cleaner with a double layered microfiltration bag. Other types of vacuum cleaner will only spread the dust around, making the house even dustier.
During summer or higher temperature days, consider turning on the air conditioner to keep humidity level low which help reduce levels of dust mites. Remember to regularly clean the air conditioner too. Not cleaning the air conditioner will cause water to trap in the filters and can be a potential source of algae growth, another type of asthma allergens.
What to do in the event of as asthma attack
In the event of an attack, first and foremost is that you do not panic. Panicking will only lead to irrational decision and may jeopardize the life of the woman.
Secondly is to find any rescue medication most likely in the form of an inhaler. If you cannot find her rescue medication, letting her drink some warm coffee or tea that will help to open her airways.
Third step is to remove her from any allergen source that you think might be causing her attack. Prolonged exposure to the allergen source will only make the attack worse. If her asthma does not stabilize after five minutes, be sure to call for medical help straight away. Whilst waiting for the help to arrive, make sure you use her inhaler every 10 minutes till she reach the medical centre or hospital.
Showing posts with label types of asthma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label types of asthma. Show all posts
Monday, March 22, 2010
Allergies and asthma.
Asthma is a lung disease that makes it difficult or even impossible to breathe. About 22 million Americans have this condition. It affects people's lives and can even cause death. The condition comes in two different forms, with a variety of possible triggers and treatment options are available.
It's important to understand what people with these lung problems have to deal with. In order to get the oxygen our bodies need, people without breathing problems breathe air into their open, healthy lungs. The lungs process it and they exhale. With asthmatics, narrowing in the airways of the lungs makes it hard to breathe. This narrowing is caused because the lungs constrict and swell. When this happens, the person is having an asthma attack.
When allergies are the cause, a person's immune system overreacts to a substance. Also, in some people, exercise leads to symptoms. In some cases, workers breathe in substances at work that cause their breathing problems. Cough variant asthma is the second type. In this form, the person coughs in a non-productive manner and coughing is the only symptom.
The cough variant of the condition can be more difficult to diagnose. This is because lung function can be normal. With this type, symptoms are often treated with similar medications as the more common constriction type.
As with any medical condition, patients need to consult with their physician for diagnosis and treatment. This is important whether the patient has the more common form or the cough variant.
Treatments vary based on severity of symptoms and underlying causes. For allergic or occupational triggers, avoiding the things that cause the problem can help prevent it. Allergy testing can be used to determine what the person is allergic to. Also, treating the allergies themselves can result in improvement for the patient.
There are a variety of medications that doctors can prescribe for their patients. There are medicines that reduce the frequency of symptoms and attacks. These are taken every day. Also, rescue inhalers are used when an attack occurs to provide immediate relief. Physicians will often prescribe both in order to manage symptoms. However, doctors sometimes need to try different medications and treatments to help each patient achieve optimal results.
Asthma is a very serious medical condition that can have a negative impact on the lives of people living with it. However, doctors are able to work with patients to determine the best treatment course and help them manage their symptoms. This means that people living with this problem can live full, healthy lives.
It's important to understand what people with these lung problems have to deal with. In order to get the oxygen our bodies need, people without breathing problems breathe air into their open, healthy lungs. The lungs process it and they exhale. With asthmatics, narrowing in the airways of the lungs makes it hard to breathe. This narrowing is caused because the lungs constrict and swell. When this happens, the person is having an asthma attack.
When allergies are the cause, a person's immune system overreacts to a substance. Also, in some people, exercise leads to symptoms. In some cases, workers breathe in substances at work that cause their breathing problems. Cough variant asthma is the second type. In this form, the person coughs in a non-productive manner and coughing is the only symptom.
The cough variant of the condition can be more difficult to diagnose. This is because lung function can be normal. With this type, symptoms are often treated with similar medications as the more common constriction type.
As with any medical condition, patients need to consult with their physician for diagnosis and treatment. This is important whether the patient has the more common form or the cough variant.
Treatments vary based on severity of symptoms and underlying causes. For allergic or occupational triggers, avoiding the things that cause the problem can help prevent it. Allergy testing can be used to determine what the person is allergic to. Also, treating the allergies themselves can result in improvement for the patient.
There are a variety of medications that doctors can prescribe for their patients. There are medicines that reduce the frequency of symptoms and attacks. These are taken every day. Also, rescue inhalers are used when an attack occurs to provide immediate relief. Physicians will often prescribe both in order to manage symptoms. However, doctors sometimes need to try different medications and treatments to help each patient achieve optimal results.
Asthma is a very serious medical condition that can have a negative impact on the lives of people living with it. However, doctors are able to work with patients to determine the best treatment course and help them manage their symptoms. This means that people living with this problem can live full, healthy lives.
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