|
|
|
|
The Dangers of Brittle Asthma
Asthma is a condition affecting millions of people. Though unpleasant, it is not uncommon and most of the times people's lives are not so much affected by it. The availability of a wide range of asthma medications makes it possible to almost always find a treatment that works well with an individual's symptoms as well as with his or her medical history. There is, unfortunately, one exception to this rule: brittle asthma. If the name sounds unfamiliar to you, its because brittle asthma is a relatively rare condition, affecting considerably fewer people than other forms of the condition. The symptoms of brittle asthma are pretty much the same as the common asthma, but the intensity of the symptoms is much higher in the case of brittle asthma. As in other types of asthma, patients experience constrictions of the bronchial tubes, resulting in inability to breathe, spasms and chest pains - the same signs that point towards the common forms of asthma too. However, in brittle asthma, these symptoms are so severe that they can often limit the patients' freedom and their ability to perform usual tasks, and even put their life in danger. The medications normally used in the treatment of the common forms of asthma are ineffective in treating brittle asthma. Whats worse, even though brittle asthmatics are under heavy medication, this does not eliminate the risk of very serious attacks. Quite often, there aren't even any signs to warn people that they are about to experience an attack. It is not uncommon for them to need immediate hospitalization. Brittle asthma is normally divided into two categories. The first of them includes those patients that have constant symptoms and need a lot of medication, including steroids, on a daily basis. When their health deteriorates even more than usual, they normally need to be given treatment in a hospital. Patients from the second category of brittle asthma seem to experience a gradual improvement of their condition, but unexpected and very severe asthma attacks are always possible; in this case, they often need to be taken to the hospital urgently as well.
|
Home page
|
|
|
