The key treatments for asthma are steroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs. These asthma drugs both help to control asthma and prevent asthma attacks. Steroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs work by reducing inflammation, swelling, and mucus production in the airways of a person with asthma. As a result, the airways are less inflamed and less likely to react to asthma triggers, allowing people with symptoms of asthma to have better control over their condition.
What happens during an asthma attack?
- The muscles around your airways tighten up, narrowing the airway.
- Less air is able to flow through the airway.
- Inflammation of the airways increases, further narrowing the airway.
- More mucus is produced in the airways, undermining the flow of air even more.
In some asthma attacks, the airways are blocked such that oxygen fails to enter the lungs. This also prevents oxygen from entering the blood stream and traveling to the body's vital organs. Asthma attacks of this type can be fatal, and the patient may require urgent hospitalization.
Asthma attacks can be mild, moderate, severe and very severe. At onset, an asthma attack does allow enough air to get into the lungs, but it does not let the carbon dioxide leave the lungs at a fast enough rate. Carbon dioxide - poisonous if not expelled - can build up in the lungs during a prolonged attack, lowering the amount of oxygen getting into your bloodstream.
Dry powder inhalers (DPI) are easier to use than metered dose inhalers because they don't require coordination. The force of the child's inhaled breath delivers the aerosolized powder into the lungs. Most kids over 5 or 6 years old are able to use a dry powder inhaler, although they must be able to inhale quickly and strongly. However, some people may feel like they get a better treatment from portable nebulizers because they can see and feel the mist coming from the machine.
Portable nebulisers allow medicine to be administered easily and quickly, even in very young children. Whether you need to use a saline nebuliser or a salbutamol nebuliser, the important thing is to ensure that you are using it correctly in order to administer the correct dosage. Used properly, though, any device will be effective, whether you need to use an inhaler or a nebuliser. Talk with your doctor if you have any questions, especially if you're concerned that your child isn't getting the proper dose of medicine. Even an adult will need to be taught how to use a portable nebuliser properly.