Nature has gifted us with Panch Tatva called , **Land, Water, Air, Sea and Fire**. One of the important tatva is Vayu or Air mean breathing freely to live. Did u ever experience any one who chest is congested enough not allowing to take normal breathing due to Asthama. Really very painful experience when a patient suffers from shortedness of breathe. My wife had this disease since her age of 16 years.As she is now at 52, still suffering from the disease and whenever climate changes near Holi, she suffers severe attack and then no medicine works even any Inhaler and she suffers for more than 36 hours to get full relief and weakness continues for a week.After using Asthaline Inhaler for the last 15 years she is normally free of any attack but she had to take puff as and when she feels bronchial attack symptoms
Asthma is a **chronic** respiratory condition that affects people of **all ages**. At present there is **no known cure, but it can be treated and controlled**. It is most common in childhood but is being diagnosed more and more in adults. It affects twice as many boys as girls in childhood; more girls than boys develop asthma as teenagers, and in adulthood, the ratio becomes 1:1 males to females. Asthma affects people in varying degrees, from very mild(only during vigorous exercise) to very severe.
Those with severe asthma may have symptoms every day that may cause some lifestyle restriction; in these people symptoms occur more easily and more frequently. There is a general trend of increased deaths and hospitalisations from asthma recorded in all the industrialised countries of the world, Canada included. In Canada about 3 million people are affected, and approximately 20 children and 500 adults die each year from asthma. However, with adequate treatment most deaths from asthma can be prevented. **What Is Asthma?**Asthma is a chronic lung condition characterised by difficulty in breathing.
People with asthma have **extra sensitive** or **hyperresponsive airways**. The airways react by narrowing or obstructing when they become irritated. This makes it difficult for the air to move in and out. This narrowing or obstruction can cause one or a combination of the following symptoms: **wheezing** **coughing** **shortness of breath** **chest tightness** This narrowing or obstruction is caused by: **Airway inflammation **(meaning that the airways in the lungs become red, swollen and narrow) **Bronchoconstriction**(meaning that the muscles that encircle the airways tighten or go into spasm) **Airway Inflammation
*It has become swollen and plugged with mucus, thus making the airway opening considerably smaller, and therefore more restrictive to airflow. The aim of treatment is to reduce this inflammation and prevent further injury to the airway.
Bronchoconstriction*
An airway which has been exposed to a certain stimulus(such as cold air or vigorous exercise). The muscle fibres surrounding the airway have contracted, thus making the airway opening considerably smaller. The aim of treatment is to reduce this constriction and prevent further injury to the airway.
*PROVOKING FACTORS*
Two factors provoke asthma:
*Triggers** result in tightening of the airways(bronchoconstriction).
*Causes **(**or inducers)** result in inflammation of the airways.
*Triggers*
1.Triggers irritate the airways and result in bronchoconstriction.
2Triggers do not cause inflammation and therefore do not cause asthma.
3.Symptoms and bronchoconstriction caused by triggers tend to be immediate, short-lived, and rapidly reversible.
4.Airways will react more quickly to triggers if inflammation is already present in the airways.
Common triggers of bronchoconstriction include everyday stimuli such as:
1.Cold air
2.Dust
3.Strong fumes
4.Exercise(For more information, please refer to Exercise and Asthma).
5.Inhaled irritants
6.Emotional upsets
7.Smoke
Two decade ago there were no Inhalers and people used to take oral medicines, Injections or machines the cough from chest and giving relief.Later on in the mid of 80s one of the prominent Chest Specialist Dr.Rajendra Prasad recommended my wife **Inhaler Asthaline** **a Salbutamol Inhaler IP 100 ug/doseproduce of Cipla.
*Indications:
Asthalin is indicated in the treatment and prophylaxis of bronchospasm in bronchial asthama, chronic pronchitis and emphusema.
Asthaline Inhale may be used with Zerostat Spancer/Cipla Spancer in patients who find it difficult to synchronise aerosol sactuation with respiration
The Cipla Baby Mask may be used to facilitate administration to children under 5 years of age.
Doses- Adults- 1-2 puffs as necessary. On demand, maximum 8 puffs in 24 hours.
Ravi Sharma