Importance of Patient Teaching for Asthma.

                  Patient Teaching for Asthma.

Asthma is a lung disease, which is an irritation and swelling in your airways where the air is carried in and out of your lungs. This disease causes breathing to be very difficult because your airway is narrowed. Patient teaching for asthma is so very important to enable all asthma patients to better understand the specificities of their disease. Asthma is a leading cause of many people staying away from work, as well as students away from classes.

 
Here are some common symptoms of asthma

Wheezing. This is a high-pitched, coarse whistling sound you make when you breath.

Chest Pain. This is a chest pain caused when your heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen-rich blood.

Dyspnea (Shortness of Breath). This is an uncomfortable situation which makes it very hard to adequately get air into your lungs.

Cough. It is a reflex action to clear your airway of mucus and irritants like smoke and dust. This is usually at night or early in the morning.

Inability to perform your daily activities. The above symptoms may lead to a victim not being able to perform their routine activities. At this stage, it is really life-threatening and needs urgent medical attention.

Here are some risk factors for asthma.

Gender. Females outnumber males in asthma attacks.

Age. Asthma is common in children than with adults, and girls are less likely to have it compared to buys. In adults, women are more vulnerable than men.

Race of Origin. My research reveals that more African has asthma in America relatively than Americans. People from the Caucasians race have 4 times fewer chances of asthma compared to people from the Hispanics race.

Heredity. If one of your biological parents has asthma, then your probability of asthma is high.

Frequent exposure to smoke. During pregnancy, if you are too expose to smoke then you newborn baby may suffer asthma.

Allergies. If you are allergic to dust mites and mould spores then you can easily develop asthma.

Pollution. The more you are exposed to toxic chemicals and air pollutants, the more chances to develop asthma.

Obesity. Obese people are more prone to asthma than a normal-weight person.

Infections. A respiratory tract infection goes a long way to expose you to asthma.

How to Manage Asthma.

Asthma is a manageable medical condition but can become a serious situation if untreated asthma leads to chronic airway obstruction that cannot be completely cured. If you are diagnosed with asthma, it is vital that you manage it to avoid frequent hospital visits. Here are some of the approaches to manage it:

Medications. It’s very important to consume your asthma medications as prescribed by your doctor.

Monitor your asthma. It is important as an asthma patient to have your peak flow meter to monitor your symptoms changes.

Quick relief inhaler. You should always be in possession of your quick-relief inhaler

How to control your triggers.

Those things that make your asthma symptoms to worsen or cause asthma attack is called triggers. With the help of a doctor, you will have to study those things causing your asthma an try to control them.

Smoke.

If smoke is your causal factor and you are a smoker, do well to stop the habit. Your doctor can also help you to ensure that you stop smoking and even family members who smoke should be persuaded to stop. In fact ban smoking in your home, car or around you.

Dust mites or dust.

If dust mite is one of your causal agents, use dust-proof covers on your bed. Ensure that your bedsheets and blankets are washed at least once a week with hot water.  Avoid cloth-covered furniture, someone else should vacuum and dust your house or use a dust mask to do it yourself.  

Pets with fur or feathers.

 If pets with fur cause your asthma, ensure that pets are out of your bedroom and bed completely. You should also avoid carpets or cloth-covered furniture at home.

Exercise.   

Understand the type of exercise that you can do, without an asthma attack or what you can do to avoid an attack after exercising.

Window

Always endeavour to keep your windows closed especially during pollen seasons and when mould counts are very high.

Cold and Wind.

On windy and cold days or seasons, always remember to cover your nose a scarf.

Flu.

 Avoid people who are sick of flu. Also, endeavour to use hand sanitizers often or wash hand often.  

 Conclusion.

Asthma is a manageable disease but when your symptoms are getting out of hands, it’s very important to contact your doctor without delays. With a close follow up of the details in this article, your asthma will not be a problem for you in the months ahead.