Who needs an asthma screening?

The article was written by Dr. Nguyen Van Dinh - Head of Respiratory - Asthma - Allergy - Clinical Immunology Unit, Vinmec Times City International Hospital

In Vietnam, about 4 million people have asthma. In recent years, the rate of bronchial asthma is increasing due to many factors. For asthma, if it is not diagnosed or treated incorrectly, it can lead to serious consequences. Asthma specialists at Vinmec International General Hospital will clearly show which people are at high risk who need to be examined and detected early.

Asthma manifests mainly as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath caused by bronchospasm. Therefore, when you have an asthma attack, you will hear a hissing sound like the wind rushing through a narrow door. Inflammation in bronchial asthma is non-infectious (except in superinfection) and is mainly due to allergic causes and does not require antibiotic treatment. The main drugs used to treat bronchial asthma are corticosteroids, which are inhaled by mouth to reduce inflammation in the airways. bronchospasm relievers and other adjunctive anti-inflammatory drugs.
In Vietnam, there are currently about 4 million people with asthma. In recent years, the rate of bronchial asthma is increasing day by day due to many factors:
Narrow housing with high humidity, little air circulation leading to the appearance of house bugs, mold, increasing the number of diseases. allergens... Viral infections, dietary changes and environmental pollution. Climate change leads to longer bloom times and pollen concentrations in the air Industrial development, the appearance of more radioactive particles Many new foods have potential new allergens for the human body For bronchial asthma, if it is not diagnosed or treated incorrectly, it will lead to serious consequences. When a patient is diagnosed with asthma early, the doctor can have a comprehensive and timely asthma control plan, avoiding complications, especially in children.
Dangerous complications of untreated and uncontrolled asthma include:
Any patient with bronchial asthma is at risk for acute and malignant episodes of dyspnea, even death when provoked. influenced by asthma triggers. In cases where the patient has no obvious clinical manifestations, manifested by shortness of breath, chest tightness, and wheezing episodes, long-term silent inflammation of the airways will lead to persistent and irreversible asthma. recovery and little or no response to therapy. Asthma in children is often accompanied by other allergies such as allergic rhinitis, eczema or allergic conjunctivitis. If the disease is missed, the diagnosis can seriously affect the physical and physical development of the child, reduce learning ability, concentration and memory. Do asthma medications cause height loss side effects? With current asthma therapies, which are mainly used topically, side effects are not significant. Many parents worry that the use of inhaled corticosteroids in young children can affect height development. This is a well-founded concern. However, the use of these drugs only reduces the maximum height growth of children by about 2cm while untreated bronchial asthma will greatly reduce the height growth compared to the side effects of the drugs. Therefore, asthma treatment brings outstanding benefits.

Early diagnosis of bronchial asthma is essential. But one question is that many people do not know when they need to be screened for asthma? where and with whom? To answer this question, experts have given the symptoms of asthma to identify who should be examined to diagnose the disease. If anyone has at least one "YES" answer to the following questions, they should be screened because of the high risk factor.
Have you ever had recurrent bouts of wheezing or wheezing? Do you have a cough or cough that is frequent at night or early in the morning that wakes you up? Do you wake up coughing or having trouble breathing? Do you cough or wheeze after physical activity? Do you have persistent shortness of breath during a certain season of the year? Do you cough, wheeze or have difficulty breathing after exposure to respiratory allergens (house dust, mold...) or irritants (paints, oils, perfumes...)? Have you ever had a cold that led to pneumonia or lasted for more than 10 days? Do you take any medication to treat symptoms? If so, how often? Are symptoms relieved by treatment with asthma medications?