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.