Asthma Information - Special Types Of Asthma

A few types of asthma are special because they are caused due to certain special conditions. There are mainly four such special conditions that are well recognised by doctors. These can be described as:

Exercise Induced Asthma: As the name suggests this is the difficulty in breathing and asthma like situation induced after heavy exercise. The intensity and duration of any exercise depends upon the endurance and the physical conditioning of an individual. Many asthmatics are capable of exercising for longer durations of time as well as even during an attack. But others must stop immediately at the onset of the attack. This would therefore depend completely on individual discretion.

During the normal exercise routine the bronchial tubes open or dilate to improve the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. This is mainly attributed to release of adrenalin into the system because of the exercise. This is because during exercise a person mainly needs more oxygen, but when a person suffering with asthma exercises exactly the opposite situation manifests.

The bronchial tubes tighten and constrict instead of dilating. So within a very short span of exercising the asthmatic person starts to cough and wheeze. In some cases it is seen the person develops the symptoms of coughing and wheezing only after several hours of exercising. This is called delayed exercise induced asthma. It is seen that most of the exercise induced asthma attacks subside within a few minutes even if they are left untreated. The maximum duration of an attack lasting is generally not more than thirty to sixty minutes.

Several factors influence exercise induced asthma. These may be the type of exercise and also the type of weather conditions that are there. It is seen that the disease troubles people more when they exercise in cold and dry climates. Running may be a more troublesome activity than swimming and bicycling.

Hidden Asthma: Everyone who suffers with asthma may not have more obvious symptoms of coughing and wheezing. Sometimes people only have shortness of breath, tightness of chest or just a nagging cough. Many people suffer with undiagnosed cough and it is seen that one in three of them has undiagnosed asthma.

This is called cough variant asthma. This kind of cough is different from normal cough. It is usually more irritating. It gets triggered off with cold weather and exertion due to exercise. It is very nagging in nature and can wake a person from deep sleep. Most people with hidden asthma sooner or later develop symptoms of full blown asthma.

Patients of hidden asthma may have difficulty in getting their condition diagnosed and treated properly. Very often they are treated with antihistamines, cough medicines, decongestants and antibiotics. This is mainly because their cough is not accompanied with wheezing. Patients with hidden asthma usually respond quite well to the basic asthma medications. Usually the most important symptom here is coughing during sleep and exercise. Wheezing may not be a symptom at all. So if someone coughs repeatedly during sleep and upon exertion it is best for him to get himself checked for hidden asthma.

Aspirin Sensitive Asthma: Some adult patients of asthma react badly to the most frequently taken drug in the world that is aspirin. They have ten times more possibility of developing an allergic reaction to it. The patients with aspirin sensitive asthma generally have a situation of runny nose at the start of the disease. The nasal discharge is generally very heavy and continues for about one or two years.

Thereafter patients lose the sense of smell or taste and develop grape like growths called the nasal polyps in the nose. In due course of time they develop full blown asthma and most of them experience a very serious attack just after taking aspirin. The patients who are diagnosed with nasal polyps should therefore be very careful and avoid the use of aspirin completely. They should not wait for their body to react before they take measures to avoid aspirin. Aspirin sensitivity is very rare in children.

Drugs that are similar to aspirin in nature or function are also best avoided by such patients. These drugs are generally termed as non steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS). These are non steroidal drugs that reduce pain and inflammation. These are widely used to treat musculo-skeletal disorders. If a patient does need them they have to be first desensitized by taking very small monitored doses of aspirin. This has to be done under the supervision of doctors.

Occupational Asthma: Asthma that is caused by substances that are present in one's workplace is called occupational asthma. It is a disease that is a by-product of development of industry and modern sciences. The triggers of occupational asthma are of both allergic and non-allergic types. Some factory workers develop the disease soon after reporting to work on a Monday morning. They may often start coughing and wheezing and may also develop flu like situations. This condition is often termed as Monday morning blues. Some workers may develop symptoms only after a few days of the week pass or towards the end of the week.