Benefits and Effects of Steroids for Asthma Patients - Essay Example

Benefits and effects of steroids for asthma patients Asthma is a serious chronic disease either caused genetically or passed genetically. Just as is the case with many other chronic diseases, doctors and scientists continue to carry out intense scientific researches in order to determine the most appropriate and cost effective treatments. Among the most appropriate, yet controversial treatments are steroids. Steroids among other inflammatory drugs are effective in treating and managing asthma since they help decrease the swellings in the respiratory tracts thereby opening the tracts for normal breathing. The drugs work systematically by reducing mucus production swellings and inflammation in the respiratory channels. This way, asthma patients become resistant to the environmental factors that trigger asthma attack. The contention in the use of steroids arises from the determined side effects of steroids in the management and treatment of asthma. Steroids are types of hard drugs and therefore addictive in most cases. Besides the addictive nature of the drugs, steroids have other side effects including hoarseness and yeast infection in the mouth. Despite such minimal side effects, the use of steroids is an effective way of managing and treating asthma. Contents Abstract 2 Contents 3 Characteristics and causes of the disease 4 Diagnosis, treatment and management of the disease 5 Use of steroids 6 Effects and advantages 8 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction Asthma is a disease that attacks the airwaves. The chronic inflammatory infection affects the respiratory system thus making it difficult for patients to breathe normally. The disease can easily kill if the patients do not receive effective medical attention. Just as with many other chronic diseases, asthma manifests itself through sporadic attacks (Martinez, 2007). During such attacks, the patients experience congested respiratory tracts a feature that makes it lethal if left untended. During such attacks, patients have trouble in breathing because the respiratory tracts swell uncontrollable or produce a lot of mucus thus making it impossible for the patients to breath normally. Characteristics and causes of the disease Among the characteristics of the disease are coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and whizzing among many others. As explained earlier, the disease arises from obstructed respiratory tracts. This makes breathing difficult thus justifying the whizzing that comes naturally to the patients as they try to breath forcefully. The causes of the disease are varied including genetics and environmental factors. Genetically, parents pass the recessive gene to their parents. This implies that the disease is a portrayal of double recessive genes occurring to a child. In this context, the patients inherit the disease from either parent who suffered from the disease. The environmental factors that contribute to the prevalence of the disease include dust and pollution, as is the case in most of countries in the contemporary society. Such factors contribute to the prevalence of the disease since they enhance the spread of the pathogens causing the disease. Family history is therefore a fundamental factor that influences the prevalence of the disease in people. Parents, grandparents and great grandparents among others in a family lineage validate the recurrence of the disease in children even though both parents may not suffer from the disease. This implies that the factors that affect the transfer of genes enhance the transfer of the disease from parents to their children. The environmental factors that contribute to the spread of the disease are numerous including air pollution a feature that makes the disease airborne. Other factors include low air quality and other environmental chemicals. Hygiene is yet another fundamental factor that contributes to the spread of asthma in the society. Asthma is common in the contemporary society a feature that validates the claims of the hygiene hypothesis. According to the hypothesis, the increase in the prevalence of asthma is a result to the reduced exposure to nonpathogenic viruses and bacteria especially during childhood. Lack of hygienic environment in the contemporary society heightens the risk since the pathogens are readily available in the environment. Diagnosis, treatment and management of the disease The common type of diagnosis of asthma is spirometry. This method of diagnosis arises from the universal definition of the disease a feature that influences the type of test used by medical practitioners in testing for the disease in patients. Asthma is a chronic disease. As such, doctors investigate the prevalent of attacks with the view to determine the chronic nature of the attacks thus the disease (Thomson & Spears, 2005). Additionally, the global definition of the disease explains that the disease affects the respiratory tracts and cells. This helps in the diagnosis of the disease since doctors readily test the fluids secreted from the respiratory tract in order to determine the existence of the disease. Asthma is systematic in its attack patterns. The attacks are common at either night or early morning and characterized by breathlessness, tightness of the chest and whizzing. Different parts of the respiratory tract experience unprecedented swelling with the nasal cavity experiencing intense production of mucus. The two factors combine to block the entre respiratory tract thereby leading to difficulty in breathing. The chest therefore tightens as it lacks adequate air to keep it relaxed while the lack of air coupled with the blocked passage results in breathlessness. Patients therefore struggle to breathe despite the constricted airwaves thus resulting in the whizzing sounds. Treatment of the disease remains difficult owing to its elusive nature. As such, doctors often advise on the management of the symptoms since such kill. Management of the disease begins with the identification of the triggers. Such triggers often include pollen, dust and pets among many others (Hargreave & Parameswaran, 2006). Doctors therefore help the patients identify the triggers and advise the patients to avoid such factors. This way, they keep the sporadic attacks to minimal levels thereby limiting the severity of the attacks. However, patients use numerous types of breathers and drugs that help reverse the effects of the symptoms of the disease thus saving the patients from the adverse effects of the symptoms during attacks. Use of steroids Different types of steroids are effective drugs used in the management of the symptoms of asthma thereby helping curb loss of lives that may arise from severe attacks. Low dose and high dose inhaled corticosteroids are among the most effective drugs used in the management of the symptoms of asthma. The various steroids always reverse the manifestation of the symptoms thereby opening up the airwaves thus permitting the patients to experience normal breathing patterns. This lessens the risks associated with the chronic disease. Inhaled steroids are the most effective treatments for asthma since they offer better management for the various symptoms. The use of the various inhaled steroids promises fewer symptoms and flare-ups. The steroids work fast to open up the airways when used accurately. Apparently, patients feel the attacks as they begin having trouble in breathing. As such times, the patients inhale the steroids thus opening up the airways and stabilizing their breathing patterns. This reverses the manifestations of the symptoms thus minimizing the instances of flare-ups of the symptom most of which often kill the patients. Additionally, the effectiveness of the steroid inhalers eliminate the need for hospitalization of the patients since they efficiently reverse the effects of the symptoms thus restoring the patients to their previous health and state before they can experience flare-ups of the symptoms. This therefore implies that steroid inhalers are the best treatments for asthma. Even though the steroids do not treat the disease, they enhance the management of the disease thus curbing its symptom that do not only show the existence of the disease in a patient but also kill (Baur & Vandenplas, 2012). Dosage of inhaled steroids varies depending on the severity of the asthmatic attacks in patients. The steroids do not prevent the symptoms during an attack; this implies that the patients must maintain fidelity to the dosage and doctors’ advice in order to curb the manifestations of the symptoms of the disease. The dosage varies from low to high dosage each of which is appropriate for different stages of both infection and prevalence. The inhalers come in three forms, which include the dry powder inhaler, nebulizer solutions and metered dose inhaler. Among the most common steroids medications currently in the market include, aerobid, asmanex, flovent, Qvar and Pulmicort among many others. The steroid inhalers are currently the most common drugs in the market a feature that portrays the importance and effectiveness of the drugs. Effects and advantages Steroids are the cornerstone in asthma therapy. The drugs offer diverse yet appropriate and effective medication to prevent and reverse the symptom of the disease. Despite the similarity in their names, inhaled steroids are different from anabolic steroids used by sport people in enhancing their energy. The inhaled steroids are types of inflammatory drugs that offer appropriate solution to the lethal effects of asthmatic attacks. Among the advantages of using the inhaled steroids is the reduction in the frequency of asthma attacks. The fact that the inhalers are dosed and take daily makes it impossible for the patients to experience the lethal attacks. Another advantage of the inhalers is the reduction in the use of beta-agonist bronchodilators. As explained earlier, the inhaler steroids are prescribed in effective doses a fact that minimizes the attacks, which often validate the use of beta-agonist bronchodilators that offer quick reliefs during attacks. Despite their ability to offer quick reliefs during attack, the drugs are strong and may often endanger the life of the patient. The fact that the inhaler steroids reduce the cases of asthmatic attacks implies that the drugs provide the lungs among other respiratory tracts with the ability to grow and function normally thus experiencing growth and development. Asthma patients experience sporadic attacks, features that hamper the growth and development of their lungs among other respiratory organs. The drugs therefore provide an opportunity for the bodies of the patients to grow to maturity and function normally. Just as any other drug used in other therapies, the inhaler steroids have few side effects including yeast infection especially in the mouth and hoarseness. Inhaler steroids are safe drugs with minimal side effects. The above side effects often occur in cases of poor doses. The drugs are safe for both adult and children. However, patients must always seek professional advice in order to obtain appropriate dosage of the drugs. With effective dosage, the side effects are minimal thereby guaranteeing high quality of life for the patients. Use of inhaler steroids in the US Annual quantity 2013 1.2million 2012 1.1million 2011 1.0 million 2010 1.0 million The table shows an annual increase in both the number of asthma patients and an increase in the inhaler steroids in the United States. This validates that an increase environment pollution as has been recorded by the government through the years contribute to the prevalence of the disease. Additionally, the increasing preference for the drugs shows their effectiveness. Graphical presentation on the effectiveness of steroids Reported side effects of the drugs Year Reported cases of severe side effects in the US 2013 201 2012 165 2011 101 2010 200 The reports above are far lower when compared to the reported cases of asthma in the country Conclusion In retrospect, the use of steroids enhanced treatment and management of asthma. The drugs offer appropriate ways of treating the disease through functional dosages. The drugs have revolutionized asthma therapy hereby offering patients numerous alternatives through the existence of numerous brands in the market. Just as explained in the discussion above, the drugs are safe for both children and adults. The side effects are minimal and as portrayed in the discussion, the advantages of the drugs outweigh the side effects. This implies that the drugs are effective and important in the treatment and management of asthma. References Baur, X; & Vandenplas, O. (Jun 1, 2012). "The management of work-related asthma guidelines: a broader perspective". European Respiratory Review 21 (124): 125–39. Chen, CM; Tischer, C; Schnappinger, M; Heinrich, J (January 2010). "The role of cats and dogs in asthma and allergy—a systematic review". International journal of hygiene and environmental health 213 (1): 1–31. Hargreave, F. E. & Parameswaran, K (August 2006). "Asthma, COPD and bronchitis are just components of airway disease". European Respiratory Journal 28 (2): 264–267. Lodge, CJ; Allen, KJ; Lowe, & Dharmage, SC (2012). "Perinatal cat and dog exposure and the risk of asthma and allergy in the urban environment: a systematic review of longitudinal studies". Clinical & developmental immunology 2012: 176484. Martinez, F. D. (2007). "Genes, environments, development and asthma: a reappraisal". European Respiratory Journal 29 (1): 179–84. Prescott, SL; Tang, ML; Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and, Allergy (May 2, 2005). "The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy position statement: Summary of allergy prevention in children". The Medical journal of Australia 182 (9): 464–7. Thomson, N. C & Spears, M. (2005). "The influence of smoking on the treatment response in patients with asthma". Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology 5 (1): 57–63. Stapleton M, Howard-Thompson A, George C, Hoover RM, Self TH (2011). "Smoking and asthma". J Am Board Fam Med 24 (3): 313–22. Read More