n recent years, the number of asthma patients in Taiwan has been increasing. Previously, asthma was thought to continue from childhood into adulthood, but environmental factors now cause asthma to develop in adulthood. Some studies show that people over 60 can also be diagnosed with asthma for the first time. Although asthma cannot be completely cured, it can be well-controlled with medication.
Asthma is difficult to cure! Reducing exposure to irritants decreases the chances of triggering asthma attacks. Photo credit: Heho Health
Asthma Developing in Adulthood?
Xiaomin, a 30-year-old office worker, maintained a busy lifestyle and recently felt increasingly fatigued but did not pay much attention. After working late one night, she developed symptoms like itchy nose, runny nose, and chest tightness, thinking it was a common cold. However, the symptoms persisted for one to two months without improvement.
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One day, as the weather cooled and air pollution worsened, she started coughing continuously after work, with breathing becoming rapid. She went to the emergency room and was diagnosed with asthma, realizing she was also an asthma patient.
Asthma can be well controlled with medication. Photo credit: Flickr
Pharmacist Chen Xuanqing from the Department of Pharmacy at Taichung Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "The prevalence of adult-onset asthma has increased in recent years, growing from 7% to over 10%, meaning 1 in 10 adults has asthma symptoms."
Asthma is Difficult to Cure! Reduce Irritants to Minimize Triggers
Currently, asthma is still a difficult disease to cure. Patients can only control it by adjusting their lifestyle, improving the environment, or using medication. Chen Xuanqing believes, "The troublesome part about asthma is that when there are no symptoms, it often makes people think they are cured, but once they encounter infections, irritants, allergens, or drastic temperature changes, it can trigger an acute attack."
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Therefore, the best way to manage asthma is to avoid contact with irritants, actively follow up with regular check-ups, and follow the doctor's instructions to use medication on time to control symptoms and reduce acute attacks.
Five Key Principles for Managing Asthma
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the respiratory tract. The primary treatment principle is to relieve persistent inflammation. Currently, asthma medication is mainly administered through inhalers, divided into two categories:
- Reliever Inhalers: Quickly relieve acute symptoms caused by bronchial constriction, such as coughing, chest tightness, and wheezing, and can be used as rescue medication.
- Controller Inhalers: Including inhaled steroids, long-acting beta-agonists, and long-acting anticholinergic inhalers, they primarily reduce airway inflammation and mucosal edema to prevent asthma attacks and need to be used daily to control symptoms.
When using inhalers containing steroids, it is necessary to rinse the mouth after each use to reduce the risk of oral thrush infection.
Chen Xuanqing reminds adult asthma patients to remember the following five principles:
- Follow medical advice and take medication on time.
- Regularly return for follow-ups and continue monitoring.
- Maintain cleanliness and avoid allergens.
- Avoid smoking and irritants.
- Exercise regularly and adjust your physical condition.
Facing asthma, one should not be afraid or avoid it. Although it may not be curable, good control can improve the frequency and severity of attacks to a certain extent.
