Asthma is a disease that causes inflammation in the ‘bronchial tubes’, the path through which air flows. Asthma is chronic, recurrent and common. Therefore, if you have been diagnosed with asthma, you should continue to manage your lifestyle to avoid exacerbating factors along with treatment. I learned regarding ‘asthma’ with the director of internal medicine, Su-jin Oh (E&O Internal Medicine).
Q. Asthma, what are the symptoms?
Asthma is a disease of the bronchial tubes, which is the passageway to the lungs. When exposed to specific triggers, the bronchial tubes narrow due to inflammation of the bronchial tubes, causing △coughing △wheezing sound when breathing △dyspnea and chest tightness. It happens repeatedly. Most of them come to the hospital with symptoms such as coughing that lasts a long time or difficulty breathing.
Q. I am curious regarding the tests required for diagnosis.
First, if you have symptoms such as shortness of breath or wheezing, a ‘chest radiograph’ is performed to check for lung disease. Another important test is the ‘lung function test’. This is a test that can objectively evaluate how much lung function is currently maintained, how wide it is following taking a bronchodilator, and how volatile it is. You can also do an asthma induction test using methacholine or mannitol. Asthma is diagnosed when lung function is found to decrease by 15% or less following inhaling the allergen.
Q. Is asthma a curable disease? I wonder what kind of treatment is needed.
Asthma is a difficult disease to cure. This is because asthma symptoms can occur once more due to triggering factors even following no symptoms for a long time.
The basic treatment for asthma is a combination of environmental therapy and drug therapy. Environmental therapy is a way to identify risk factors that cause asthma in yourself and avoid them as much as possible. The most important drug therapy is inhaled steroids and bronchodilators. It is most important to use the inhaler in the right way and continuously, and in case of exacerbation, leukotriene modulators or steroids may also be used.
Q. Is there anything an asthma patient should be aware of in their daily life?
Asthma can be aggravated by a variety of risk factors, such as allergens, viral infections, pollutants, and medications. Exposure to these risk factors should be reduced to prevent exacerbation. Allergens, viral infections and contaminants should be avoided as far as possible.
In addition, it is recommended to refrain from smoking, avoid going out as much as possible on days with a lot of fine dust, and wear a mask when going out. It is also important to get flu and pneumonia shots. In addition, it is recommended to pay attention to indoor ventilation when cooking or cleaning the interior of the house.
Q. Can a corona infection cause asthma?
It seems medically incorrect to say that ‘I have asthma because of corona infection’. Asthma symptoms usually come and go repeatedly, so many people are unaware that they have asthma.
As mentioned before, asthma symptoms can be exacerbated by viral infections. As a result, asthma patients experience symptoms such as coughing and hoarse breathing that last longer than other people when they suffer from corona infection. In other words, although asthma does not occur due to corona, it seems to be possible to say that ‘there are some cases where the person has asthma due to corona’.
Help = Director Oh Soo-jin (E&O Internal Medicine Specialist)