Types of Asthma | Asthma Symptoms and Treatment

Asthma is a chronic illness of the airways that transfer air to and from the lungs. No full cure  is obtainable, but treatment procedures can assist people with asthma guide a full and energetic life. In an individual with asthma, the inside walls of the airways, generally known as bronchial tubes, become swollen or inflamed.

Types of Asthma

The commonest kind of asthma is bronchial asthma, which affects the bronchi in the lungs.

Other types of asthma include childhood asthma and adult-onset asthma. In adult-onset asthma, signs or symptoms don’t appear until at least age 20.

Other types of asthma are explained below.

Allergic asthma (extrinsic asthma) 

Allergens trigger this kind of asthma. These might include: 

• Dogs or cats dander.
• Food 
• Mold 
• Pollen 
• Airborne dirt and dust 

Allergic asthma is more likely to be seasonal because it often goes hand-in-hand with seasonal allergies. 

Nonallergic asthma (intrinsic asthma)

Irritants in the air not related to allergies cause this kind of asthma. Irritants might include:

• Burning wood and cigarette smoke 
• Cold air 
• Air pollution 
• Viral ailments 
• Air fresheners 
• Household cleaning products 
• Perfumes 

Occupational asthma

Occupational asthma is a form of asthma induced by triggers in the workplace.

These include: 

• Dust 
• Dyes 
• Gases and fumes 
• Industrial chemicals 
• Animal proteins 
• Rubber latex 

These irritants can exist in a lot of industries, such as farming, textiles, woodworking, and manufacturing.

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB)

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) generally affects people within a couple of minutes of beginning exercise and up to 10-15 minutes after physical activity. This condition was previously generally known as exercise-induced asthma (EIA).

Up to 90 percentage of people with asthma also experience EIB, but not every person with EIB will have other types of asthma.

Nocturnal Asthma

In this particular kind of asthma, symptoms worsen at night. 

Triggers that are thought to bring on symptoms at night include heartburn, pet dander, and dirt and dust mites. The body’s natural sleep cycle may also trigger nocturnal asthma. 

Cough Variant Asthma (CVA)

Cough Variant asthma doesn’t have classic asthma symptoms of wheezing and breathing difficulties. CVA is characterized by a persistent, dry cough. 

Cough Variant asthma can lead to full-blown asthma flares that include the other more common symptoms. 

Symptoms

Asthma is a chronic illness that inflames the airways. This means that people who have have asthma generally have inflammation that is long lasting and needs managing. An asthma episode, also known as an asthma flare-up or asthma attack, can occur at any time. Mild symptoms may only last a couple of minutes while more severe asthma symptoms can last hours or days.

• Coughing 
• Wheezing (a whistling, squeaky sound when you breathe) 
• Difficulty in breathing 
• Rapid breathing 
• Chest tightness 

Treatment

Asthma medicine can give speedy relief from symptoms and help manage the disease in the long term.

There’s no cure for asthma, a chronic lung ailment marked by inflammation of the bronchial tubes (airways) of the lungs.

But a lot of treatments for asthma are available-both to help prevent symptoms, and to treat them when they do occur. 

Without proper treatment, asthma may get worse as you get older, with asthma problems increasing in their frequency and severity. 

Treatment for asthma aims to do the following: 

• Rapidly resolve symptoms once they occur 
• Prevent symptoms and attacks 
• Improve your sleep and activity levels 

Diagnosis

Physical Exam

To rule out other possible conditions-such as a respiratory infection or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-your physician will do physical exam and inquire you queries regarding the symptoms and signs and about any other health problems.

Tests to measure lung function

You may also be given lung (pulmonary) function assessments to determine how much air transports in and out as you breathe. These assessments may include:

• Spirometry: This test assess the narrowing of your bronchial tubes by checking how much air you can release after a deep breath and how quickly it is possible to breathe out.

• Peak flow: A peak flow meter is an ordinary equipment that calculates how hard you can breathe out. Less than normal peak flow readings are a sign your lungs may not be getting worse. Your physician will give you directions on how to monitor and deal with low peak flow readings.

Lung function tests often are done before and after taking a medicine called a bronchodilator, for example albuterol, to open the airways. If the lung function increases with use of a bronchodilator, it’s most likely you have asthma.

Thyroid Gland | Thyroid Test

The thyroid gland, or simply the thyroid, is an endocrine gland in the neck, comprising of two lobes connected by an isthmus. That it is located at the front of the neck, below the Adam’s apple. The thyroid gland secretes thyroid hormones, which primarily influence the metabolic rate and also protein synthesis.

This small, 2-inch gland controls the body temperature, keeps the brain thinking clearly, the heart pumping rhythmically, and basically maintains harmony among all organs in the body.

Symptoms

If you have thyroid disease, the thyroid gland can either become overactive or underactive.

In case the thyroid doesn’t secrete adequate hormones into the blood, you may suffer from hypothyroidism and a slowing down of bodily functions. This could cause more serious complications, like high cholesterol and heart trouble.

Initial symptoms of hypothyroidism might include:

• Tiredness 
• Weight gain 
• Cold intolerance 
• Dry or brittle hair 
• Memory issues 
• Irritability and depression 
• Higher cholesterol 
• Slower heart rate 
• Constipation, or sluggish bowel 

On the other hand, if the thyroid secretes excessive hormones, bodily functions will speed up, as it does in hyperthyroidism. 

Hyperthyroid symptoms could include:

• Weight-loss 
• Heat intolerance 
• Frequent bowel movements 
• Tremors 
• Nervousness and irritability 
• Thyroid gland enhancement 
• Sleep problems 
• Tiredness 

TSH Test

A TSH test is done to determine if the thyroid gland is functioning the way it should. It can let you know if it’s overactive (hyperthyroidism) or underactive (hypothyroidism). The test also can detect a thyroid disorder before you have any kind of symptoms. If neglected, a thyroid disorder can cause health problems.

TSH is short for “thyroid stimulating hormone” and the test determines how much of the hormone is in the blood. TSH is made by the pituitary gland in the human brain. This gland signals the thyroid to make and release the thyroid hormones into the blood.

The TSH test requires basically drawing few blood from the body. The blood will then be analysed in a lab.

It’s best to do this in the morning time as the TSH levels can fluctuate throughout the day. No preparation is required (such as over-night fasting). However, if you’re on certain medications, like dopamine and lithium, you may need to come off all of them beforehand. Check with your doctor to find out. You shouldn’t feel any discomfort beyond a tiny prick from the needle in the arm. You may have some slight bruising too.

High Levels of TSH

The normal TSH range is 0 .4 to 5 milli-international units per liter (mlU/L). In case the level is greater than this, chances are you have an underactive thyroid. Pregnancy also can make your TSH levels higher. In the event that you’re on medications like steroids, dopamine, or opioid painkillers (like morphine), you could also get a lower than normal reading.

Low Levels of TSH

It’s also possible that the test reading comes back indicating less than normal levels of TSH and an overactive thyroid. This could be caused by:

• Graves disease (the body’s immune system attacks the thyroid) 
• Excessive iodine in the body 
• An excessive amount of thyroid hormone medication 
• Excessive of a natural supplement which contains the thyroid hormone 

Treatment

Thyroid disorders can usually be treated by medications or, in certain cases, surgery. Treatment will depend on the specific disease of the thyroid.

Thyroid medications

Medicines can be provided to replace the lacking thyroid hormone in hypothyroidism. Artificial thyroid hormone is given in pill form by mouth. When hyperthyroidism is present, medicines are useful to reduce. Level of thyroid hormone or reduce its discharge from the gland. Other medicines is generally given to assist handle the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, such as increased heart rate. If hyperthyroidism is not controlled with medicines, radioactive ablation can be performed. Ablation involves giving doses of iodine labelled with radioactivity that selectively damages the thyroid tissue.

Thyroid surgery

Surgery can be used to take away a big goiter or a hyperfunctioning nodule within the gland. Surgery is needed when there is a possibility of thyroid cancer. If the thyroid gland is eliminated entirely, the person will need to take synthetic thyroid hormone for a lifetime.

Typhoid Fever

Typhoid is an infection because of Salmonella typhimurium bacteria that is spread from human to human. No animals hold this disease, so transmission is always human being to human being.

Symptoms of Typhoid Fever

The incubation duration is normally 1-2 weeks, and the period of the illness is about 3-4 weeks.

Symptoms include:

• Low appetite 
• Mild to severe headaches 
• Generalized pains and aches 
• Fever as high as 104 degrees Farenheit 
• Sweating 
• Lethargy 
• Dry Cough 
• Diarrhea or bowel problems 

Chest congestion grows in lots of people, and abdominal discomfort and pain are common. The fever becomes constant.

Causes

Salmonella Typhimurium penetrates via the mouth and spends 1 to 3 weeks in the intestine. After this, it makes its way through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream. From the bloodstream, it widely spreads into other cells and organs.

Fecal-oral transmission route

The bacteria that produce typhoid fever pass on via contaminated food or water and occasionally through direct contact with anyone who is infected. In developing nations, where typhoid fever is established, a lot of cases originate from contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation. The majority of people in industrialized countries pick up typhoid bacteria while traveling and spread it to other people by way of the fecal-oral route.

Which means that Salmonella Typhimurium is passed in the feces and sometimes in the urine of affected people. It is possible to contract the bacterial infection if you eat food handled by someone with typhoid fever who hasn’t washed carefully after utilizing the toilet. You can even become infected by drinking water contaminated with the bacteria.

Typhoid Carriers

Even after treatment with anti-biotics, a few individuals who recover from typhoid fever continue to keep harbour the bacteria in their intestinal tracts or gallbladders, often for a long time. These people, generally known as chronic carriers, shed the bacteria in their feces and are capable of infecting other people, although they no longer have signs or symptoms of the illness themselves.

Typhoid Diagnosis

Blood, Stool and Urine samples are collected so that they can be examined under the microscope for the presence of Salmonella typhi. However, the bacteria may not always be determined in the early stages of disease and a serious of tests may be required to confirm the diagnosis.

Testing the bone marrow is known as a more reliable way for diagnosing typhoid. However, obtaining a bone marrow sample is painful and is therefore avoided if possible.

Blood culture is another common way of diagnosis. Blood drawn from the victim is placed on a culture media, that allows any kind of bacteria present to develop and be identified under a microscope.

A stool culture may additionally give outcomes by allowing the bacteria to grow in a culture media.

Typhoid Treatment

Typhoid fever can commonly be cured effectively with a course of antibiotic medication. Most cases can be treated at home, but you may need to be admitted to hospital if the situation is difficult.

Treatment at home

If typhoid fever is detected in its, a course of antibiotic tablets may be prescribed for you. Most of the people need to take these for 7 to 14 days.

Some strains of the Salmonella typhi bacteria that lead to typhoid fever have developed a resistance to one or more kinds of antibiotics.

Any blood, stool or urine samples taken for the duration of the diagnosis will usually be tested in a laboratory to determine which strain you’re infected with, so you can be treated with an appropriate antibiotic.

The signs and symptoms should begin to improve within 2 to 3 days of taking antibiotics. But it’s really important you finish the course to ensure the bacteria are fully removed from the body.

Make sure to rest, consume lots of fluids and eat regular meals. You can find it simpler to eat smaller meals more frequently, rather than 3 larger meals a day.

You should also take care of good standards of personal hygiene, for example regularly washing the hands with soap and warm water, to decrease the risk of spreading the infection to other people.

Hospital Treatment

Hospital admission is normally recommended for those who have severe signs and symptoms of typhoid fever, such as persistent vomiting, severe diarrhoea or a swollen stomach.

As a preventative measure, small children who develop fever may be admitted to hospital.

In hospital, you’ll have antibiotic injections and you can also be given essential fluids and nutrients directly into a vein via an intravenous drip.

Relapses

In a few situations, the symptoms or infection may recur. It is referred to as a relapse. Some

people who are treated for typhoid fever experience a relapse, which is when signs or symptoms return.

In these situations, the symptoms typically return around a week after antibiotic treatment has completed.

The second time around , symptoms are usually milder and last for a shorter time compared to the original illness , but further treatment with antibiotic is usually recommended .

What is Stroke | Types of Stroke | Prevention of Stroke

Stroke, also known as brain attack, happens when blood flow to the brain is disrupted. Disruption in blood circulation is caused when either a blood clot or piece of plaque blocks one of the vital blood vessels in the brain, or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood into surrounding tissues.

Types of Stroke

Strokes are categorized in three most important classifications:

                    1] Transient ischemic attack (TIA),

                    2] Ischemic Stroke, and

                    3] Hemorrhagic Stroke.

Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

A transient ischemic attack, also called a TIA or ministroke, appears when blood circulation to the brain is clogged temporarily. Symptoms, which are much like those of a full stroke, are typically non permanent and vanish after a couple of minutes or hours. A TIA is normally

due to a blood clot. It serves as a alert of a future stroke, so don’t neglect a TIA.

Ischemic Stroke

During an ischemic stroke, the arteries carrying blood to the brain narrow or turn into clogged. These blockages are generated by blood clots or blood circulation that’s severely decreased. They can also occur due to pieces of plaque because of of atherosclerosis breaking off and blocking a blood vessel.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when an artery in the brain breaks open or leaks blood. The blood from that artery generates additional pressure in the skull and swells the brain, damaging brain cells and tissues.

Signs of Stroke

Facial weakness, arm weakness and trouble with speech are the most typical symptoms or signs of stroke, but they are not the only signs.

The following signs of stroke may happen alone or in collaboration:

• Weakness or numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg on either or each side of the body.
• Trouble talking or understanding. 
• Dizziness, loss in balance or an unexplained fall. 
• Loss in eyesight, sudden blurring or reduced vision in a single or both eyes.
• Head ache, generally severe and abrupt onset or unexplained change in the pattern of headaches. 
• Difficulty swallowing. 

Diagnosis of Stroke

The initial step in examining a stroke patient is to determine whether the patient is experiencing a ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke so that the appropriate treatment can start. A CT scan or MRI of the head is usually the first test performed.

CT of the head: CT scanning brings together special x-ray equipment with sophisticated computers to generate multiple images or pictures of the inside of the body. Physicians use CT of the head to identify a stroke from a blood clot or bleeding within the brain. To progress the identification and characterization of stroke, CT angiography ( CTA ) may be executed . In CTA, a contrast material may be injected intravenously and pictures are received of the cerebral blood vessels. Pictures that identify blood circulation, known as CT perfusion ( CTP ), may be received simultaneously . The combination of CT, CTA and CTP can help doctors make a decision on the best treatment for a patient experiencing a stroke.

MRI of the head: MRI uses a strong magnetic field, radio frequency pulses along with a computer to create detailed images of organs, soft tissues, bone and virtually all other internal body structures. MR is furthermore used to image the cerebral vessels, a technique known as MR angiography ( MRA ). Pictures of blood flow are produced with a procedure known as MR perfusion ( MRP ). Physicians use MRI of the head to assess brain damage from a stroke.

Cerebral Angiography: Angiography is a medical test which is performed with among three imaging technologies- x-rays, CT or MRI, and in some cases a difference material, to create pictures of major blood vessels in the brain. Cerebral angiography helps doctors identify or confirm abnormalities such as a blood clot or narrowing of the arteries.

Prevention of Stroke:

Controlling High Blood Pressure

This is probably the most essential things you can do to decrease the stroke risk. If you’ve had a stroke, reducing the blood pressure can help prevent a subsequent TIA or Stroke.

Lowering the amount of Cholesterol

Consuming less Cholesterol and fat, particularly saturated fat and trans fats, may decrease the plaque in the arteries.

Quitting Tobacco Use

Smoking cigarettes increases the chance of stroke for smokers and nonsmokers exposed to second hand smoke. Giving up tobacco products lowers the risk of stroke.

Controlling Diabetes

It is possible to control diabetes with eating habits, exercise, weight control and medication.

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables

A diet plan containing five or more daily servings of fruits or vegetables may greatly reduce the threat of stroke. Following the Mediterranean diet, which emphasizes olive oil, fruit, nuts, vegetables and whole grains, may be very helpful.

Exercising Regularly

Aerobic or cardio exercise lowers the possibility of stroke in lots of ways. Exercise can can reduce the blood pressure, raise the level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and develop the overall health of the blood vessels and heart. This also helps you lose weight, control diabetes and reduce stress.