How much Risk? Guide to Asthma Medication | VIVEKANANAD ASTHMA Clinic

Asthma is a chronic ongoing lung disease marked by acute flare-ups or attacks of difficulty while breathing. It is a common disease that can happen at any age but most often occurs during childhood and can continue into adulthood. Asthma includes shortness of breath, cough, chest tightness, and the hallmark wheezing sound, a whistling noise that occurs with respirations.

     Asthma is a disease of a lower respiratory tract. Characteristics of asthma include inflammation of the airways in the lungs. These include the bronchioles, small hollow passageways that branch off the main airway from mouth to nose. Air & oxygen pass through the bronchioles into alveoli, tiny hollow structures in the lungs where oxygen is absorbed into the bloodstream. In asthma, bronchioles and alveoli become inflamed, irritated and swollen, blocking the flow of air into the lungs.

      Asthma is often associated with allergies, & most people with asthma also have allergies. In these people, the disease is often known as allergic asthma or allergy-induced asthma. Other types of asthma include occupational asthma, which is caused by breathing irritating or toxic chemicals work. Cough-variant asthma is a form of asthma in which a dry, irritating cough is most prominent symptoms.

   Common asthma triggers include:

·        Tobacco smoking

·        Animals (Fur, Pet hair)

·        Air Pollution

·        Food Allergy (Sea fish, Crab, Egg etc)

·        Pollen grains & Dust

·        Change in weather(Most often cold weather)

·        Chemicals in the air or in food

·        Exercise

·        Mold

·        Respiratory infections, Such as the common cold

·        Strong emotions(Stress)

  Sign & Symptoms

    Symptoms may occur during the day or at night & Wheezing is most common symptoms of an asthma attack.

·        Cough with or without sputum(phlegm) production

·        Congestion or pulling in of the skin between the ribs when breathing(intercostals retractions)

·        Breathlessness that gets worse with exercise or activity

·        Wheezing which:

o   Comes in episodes with symptom-free periods in between

o   Maybe worse at night or in the early morning.

o   May go away on its own

o   Gets better when using drugs that open the airways (bronchodilators).

o   Get worse when breathing in cold air.

o   Gets worse with exercise

o   Get worse with heartburn (reflux).

o   Usually begins suddenly

  Emergency symptoms

·        Bluish color to the lips & face.

·        Decreased level of alertness,  such as severe drowsiness or confusion, during an asthma attack

·        Extreme difficulty breathing

·        Rapid pulse.

·        Severe anxiety due to shortness of breath

·        Sweating

     Other Symptoms

·        Aspirin and other no steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) provoke asthma in some patient.

·        Many people with asthma have a person or family history of allergies, such as hay fever (allergic rhinitis) or eczema. Other have no history of allergies

·        Most people with asthma have attacks separated by symptom-free periods. Some people have long-term shortness of breath with episodes of increased shortness of breath. Either wheezing or a cough may be the main symptoms.

·        Asthma attack can last for minutes to days and can become dangerous if the airflow is severely restricted.

  Treatments:

        Asthma is a chronic disease that is not curable, but with regular medical care and consistent patient compliance with treatments, asthma attacks can successfully be minimized in occurrence, length, and severity. This includes minimizing the use of rescue medications and getting a jump on symptoms before they develop into severe execrations that result in emergency room visit & hospitalizations. This includes keeping a log or record of asthma symptoms, such as a type of symptoms, when they occurred, what seemed to trigger them, how long they lasted, how severe they were, and what treatment was needed to resolve symptoms.

·        Pulmonary Function Test(PFT)

·        X-Ray (Chest)

·        Bronchoscopy & CT Scan

·        Bronchodilators or inhalers

·        Arterial Blood Gas

·        Peak Flow measurements

·        Allergy testing may be helpful to identify allergens in People with Persistent Asthma.

·        Blood test to measure eosinophil count (a type of white blood cell) & IgE.

  Prevention

    You can reduce asthma symptoms by avoiding known triggers & substances that irritate the airways.

o   Cover bedding with “allergy-proof” casings to reduce exposure to dust mites.

o   Remove carpets from bedrooms & vacuum regularly

o   Use only unscented detergents & cleaning materials in the home.

o   Keep humidity levels low & fix leaks to reduce the growth organisms such as mold.

o   Keep the house clean & keep food in containers and out of bedrooms—this helps reduce the possibility of cockroaches, which can trigger asthma attacks in some people.

o   If a person is allergic to an animal that cannot be removed from the home, the animal should be kept out of the bedroom. Place filtering material over the heating outlets to trap animal dander.

o   Eliminate tobacco smoke from the home. This is the single most important thing a family can do to help a child with asthma. Smoking outside the house is not enough. Family members & visitors who smoke outside carry smoke residue inside on their clothes and hair.—this can trigger asthma symptoms.

o   A person with asthma should also avoid air pollution, industrial dust and other irritating fumes as much as possible.

    In conclusion asthma can be described as a chronic respiratory condition which can be identified by breathing difficulty, wheezing, cough and chest tightness. Physical examinations, pulmonary function tests, blood tests and chest X-rays are also used to determine asthma. Inhalation or ingestion of allergens and pollutants, exposure to cold weather, exercises, infections and occupational factors such as dust and chemicals can be considered asthma's risk factors, and healthcare professionals need to spread awareness in order to prevent and minimize asthma attacks.

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Child care | Healthy Child is Future of Healthy Nation | Vivekanand Pediatrics Clinic

Child health care is essential to building the prosperity and capabilities of the future of a growing nation. It is an extraordinary social obligation in which every government & private Hospital has to play a vital role. It shows up this primary responsibility is overlooked in the determined quest for financial development.

Each day, the safety and prosperity of some children across the country are debilitated by reasonable therapeutic offices. Interceding adequately in the lives of these children and their families is not the sole duty of any single office or professional expertise, yet rather is a common group concern.

The factors are appropriate to assess the health status of kids below five years.

Children under 5 years who are stunted (height-for-age), children under 5 years who are wasted (weight-for-height) and kids under 5 years who are seriously wasted (weight-for-height) are an anthropometric appraisal of the nourishing status of children below five years of age.

Your children require standard preventive care from a specialist, sometimes called health visits or dial emergency no of Vivekanand Pediatrics & Neonatology. These checkups may incorporate blood test, height and weight, and Immunization and will help track and secure your child’s health as he or she develops into a grown-up.

• Regular checkups from birth through age 5 years
• Screenings for childhood diseases
• Scheduled immunizations 

Well-Child Visits

Your children will do best on the off chance that you ensure they get well-child visits on a regular basis. This should begin even before they're conceived. As a mom-to-be, you are entitled to prenatal visits. That allows you a converse with a specialist about breastfeeding, child safety, and newborn care.

Well-child visits should follow this schedule:

• Right after baby is born
• At 1 week old
• At 1 month old
• At 2 months old
• At 4 months old
• Every three months from 6 months old to 18 months old
• At 2 years old and 2 1/2 years old
• Every year from 3 years old until age 18 years

These visits for preventive care can be separate from other appointments.

Well-Child Checkups: Birth to Age 2

At each checkup, your child specialist will search generally for the similar things:

• Your baby's development by measuring her head, weight, and tallness
• Your Child nourishment by talking about your baby's eating habits
• Your child's physical advancement and development
• Your baby's language improvement by listening to the sounds she makes and how she echoes sounds
• Your child's socialization by conversing with you about how she reacts to you and to other individuals she interacts with
• Your child’s well being at home, far from home, and in the car
• Needed Vaccination

The nature of the exams will change to some degree depending upon child's age.

Your child specialist may do some particular screening tests or offer some preventive measures at particular well-child visits. Examples include:

• Fluoride supplement. If you live somewhere without fluoride in your water source, your pediatrician will recommend fluoride supplement for your child beginning at age 6 months at no cost to you.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) screening. At almost every visit, the specialist looks for signs & indication of ASD in light of what you say about your baby as well as by observing your child. A more formal test for autism happens twice -- a year & a half and two years. At these circumstances, your specialist will ask you to fill out a questionnaire about your child's conduct and advancement.

Well-Child Checkups: Age 2 to 5

Your child specialist checks the same general things at each checkup, however, there are particular points of interest they take a gander at relying on child’s age.

• Growth and nutrition: Weight, height, BMI, and blood pressure checks start at age 3,
• Development: The doctor will inquire about your child's speech, coordination, strength, playing habits, learning, physical activity, behavior, sleep habits, and other things.
• Oral Health: Checkups include an examination of your child's mouth & teeth to check his risk of getting cavities. If needed, your child will be referred to a pediatric dentist for treatment.
• Vision: Screening happens at every wellness visit. Your child will get a more complete eye test around age 3 or 4.
• Hearing: Screening recommendations vary, so ask your doctor if there will be an additional charge for a hearing test at age 4 or 5.
• Vaccine: The type and timing can vary, so talk with your doctor.

Safety counseling: The doctor will provide counseling on such things as a safety at home, away from home, and in the car. For younger children, this can involve preventing poisoning and talk to strangers

Conclusion

There is need to build awareness and information about the advantage and significance of vaccination, and furthermore the unsafe consequences of non-complete vaccination.An arranged informative program is required; the informational level of guardians ought to be thought about when the program is arranged, especially as regards those with a lower educational level.

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VIVEKANAND HOSPITAL, Bhubaneswar

Mob 9090099402/9090960353

www.vivekanandhospital.com

Email: info@vivekanandhospital.com

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