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Severe Asthma, also known as status asthmaticus, is a type of asthma in which sufferers experience intense attacks that do not respond to traditional asthma treatments. Experts believe that anywhere from five to ten percent of all asthma patients suffer from severe asthma. While medical experts do not fully understand what causes this condition, the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP) believes the difference in severity might be due to air becoming trapped in the lungs.

Recognizing Severe Asthma

Severe asthma is a serious and potentially life threatening condition. To protect oneself from a dangerous episode, sufferers must learn how to recognize the signs of a severe attack. Many times, during the beginning of a severe asthma attack, patients will feel out of breath, have trouble speaking, feel tightness in their chest and may notice that their lips are slightly blue. Many people also become agitated, confused and find it impossible to get into a position that opens the airways.

As the attack progresses, the airways will become inflamed and may fill with mucus. Some people might cough or wheeze, while others may not be able to get enough air to make a wheezing sound. If the attack is not treated quickly, it will become very difficult to breath, even when using an inhaler. Because severe asthma does not respond to inhalers, patients must seek medical attention immediately.

How Patients Can Treat Their Severe Asthma

While severe asthma will not respond to an inhaler, these attacks can be treated. Severe asthma attacks are often treated using an asthma nebulizer, or a portable breathing machine. Patients may also need to be injected with certain drugs, like prednisone, epinephrine or terbutaline, which reduce inflammation and open the airways to allow breathing. Magnesium sulfate can also be administered intravenously to reduce swelling in the airways.

To prevent a dangerous attack, sufferers should seek treatment as soon as they begin experiencing symptoms. Oral drugs, like leukotriene inhibitors and omalizumab, can also be used to prevent attacks in patients who experience frequent episodes. Some patients may even decide to undergo bronchial thermoplasty, a procedure that reduces muscle in the airways. While severe asthma may be less convenient to treat than regular asthma, these therapies can help patients control their condition.

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Q: Understanding and Living with Severe Asthma?
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Related questions

Is anaphylactic shock a severe asthma attack?

No, because it can happen even if you don't have asthma. It can be more severe if you have asthma however.


What is severe asthma?

Severe asthma is known as Status Asthmaticus. It is a life-threatening condition that cannot be treated using inhalers.


Are there any ways to treat severe asthma?

Yes, there are many ways to treat severe asthma. All asthma treatments are individualized and should be used in conjunction with treatment from your doctor. There are drug treatments that your DR will recommend.


What are all the types of asthma and which type is the worst and most risky and which type is non-risky?

There is mild asthma right through to severely uncontrolled asthma. Asthma comes in 5 stages. Stages 1-2 are controlled asthma and stage 4-5 are severe asthma needing extra preventitive treatment to control it and reduce asthma attacks. Each stage of asthma is risky when having a asthma attack. But the more severe or the less controlled the asthma is, the higher the risk associated with yourself of having a severe asthma attack. Constant asthma attacks is not good on lung function and any chage to asthma should be checked over my a doctor.


Do asthma quailfy for ssd?

If it is severe enough, yes.


The Differences Between Asthma And Severe Asthma?

The exact causes for the development of asthma are currently under investigation. The condition results from an inflammation of the airways that causes constriction that reduces the ability of an individual to inhale. Severe asthma is the most serious form of the disease. Severe asthma is characterized by a persistent inflammation that almost never ceases. Almost 10 to 15 percent of people who have asthma are diagnosed with severe persistent asthma. The exact definition of the severe form of the disease varies depending on which guidelines are used for diagnosis. Severe asthma is a very serious disease because it cannot be easily treated with the same drugs and inhalers that are effective for less severe cases. Some patients actually require continual use of an inhaler in order to deliver anti-inflammatory medications to the airways. Other individuals do not respond at all to any type of treatment. Severe asthmatics might need a nebulizer, epinephrine injections or an oxygen mask. Patients that have uncontrollable symptoms that affect the pulmonary system in the body might require a physical air tube or mask that delivers oxygen directly into the lungs when needed. Severe asthma might result from a genetic predisposition to respiratory problems. There is also evidence that environmental factors such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter and other types of air pollution can contribute to the disease. Some individuals might develop asthma as a child that can then escalate into severe asthma over time if the asthma is not properly treated. The onset of severe asthma can sometimes result from an illness or injury that affects the lungs. There is speculation that severe asthma is actually a completely different form of asthma and not just a more serious version of the same disease. Patients with severe asthma often have the inability to fully exhale the air that is taken into the lungs. Many severe asthmatics are also shown to still have inflammation and obstructions in the airways even after a treatment has been successfully applied. These factors can potentially contribute to the development of a different type of medication that can effectively treat severe asthma.


Is Laughther bad for me since i have Asthma?

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