Living and Coping with Asthma

According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), there are more than 20 million American suffering from asthma attacks. Of these 20 million Americans, about 45 percent are children.

Although asthma is linked to allergies, but it is not necessary that all the patients suffering from Asthma suffers from allergy also. Asthma develops in childhood and continues through adulthood. However, an individual can develop asthma at any age. It is commonly found in girls to that of boys. According to an article published in the USA Today, about 53,000 patients die from asthma and asthma related complications annually. Asthma is the sixth leading acute disease found in America.

Asthma Symptoms

Asthma is considered as a risk to an individual’s health if left untreated. However, patients suffering from asthma can live a contented and happy life as long as they take suitable medication and treatment for the disease.

Identifying the signs and symptoms of asthma attacks is an important step in overcoming this life threatening disease. Following are the signs and symptoms of Asthma:

• Chest tightness
• Faster than normal breathing
• Coughing during the evenings and difficulty in sleeping
• Noisy breathing
• There is a sound of squeaking or whistling then asthma patients breathe
• Struggling to breathe or shortness of breathe

Moreover, asthma symptoms differ from patient to patient. Some asthma patients’ experiences severe symptoms while other experiences mild discomfort. A patient suffering from asthma has to make a note of many things that a doctor can enquire about like family history of allergy or asthma, hereditary, time or season in year when you develop asthma, chest colds, things that worsen the asthma and medicines which alleviate the symptoms of asthma.

Treatment of Asthma

There is a wide range of asthma treatments that can be divided into the following two categories:

• Long relief medication
• Quick relief medication

Quick relief medicines are prescribed to stop the asthma attack and other symptoms associated with it before the condition of the patient becomes uncontrollable. According to the National Library of Medicine (NLM), generally, short treatment of asthma includes inhalers that open the airways and relaxes the muscles.

Long relief medicines consists of steroids like corticosteroids, which is available in both liquid and tablet form. According to the NHLBI, doctors prescribe long-term asthma medicines to the patients suffering from moderate, mild and severe asthma. Other long-term treatment of asthma includes the following:

• Nedocromil and cromolyn
• Inhaled beta-agonists are used with corticosteroid medications
• Theophylline
• Leukotriene modifiers are used fro the treatment of mild asthma. When combined with corticosteriods, these modifiers can treat moderate and severe asthma.

It is difficult to find out the best treatment for asthma as more and more asthma treatments are linked to severe side effects. Recently, Singulair, a drug used for treating asthma has been associated with adverse side effects. Merck introduced Singulair for the market use in 1998. This drug came under the scrutiny of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when in March 2008 it was found that the patients using this drug suffered from several side effects including the following:

• Depression
• Moodiness
• Suicide
• Suicidal behavior
• Suicidal thoughts

Additionally, Singulair has been associated with the following side effects:

• Upper respiratory infection
• Fever
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Heartburn
• Intestinal or stomach pain
• Flu
• Rashes

Asthma patients taking Singulair are at increased risk of developing these side effects. However, patients who believe that they are suffering from any of the above mentioned side effects, should immediately consult a doctor. Thereafter, seek the advice of a pharmaceutical lawyer who will assist in filing a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the drug.