Asthma is the most common chronic condition for women in pregnancy. While Asthma control can affect pregnancy, pregnancy too can affect Asthma. Yet while pregnancy does not beget Asthma, neither does it abate.

Nevertheless, Asthma management during pregnancy is very important. Improper Asthma management, especially in difficult Asthma, during pregnancy may imperil both the mother and the child.

Along with taking the right medications, Asthma patients also need to avoid exposure to Asthma triggers.

Avoiding Asthma Triggers

Asthma triggers may be different for different people. In general, one or a few of the following act as Asthma triggers:

Allergens like pollen, dust mite etc.

Smoking

Certain exercises

Certain occupational exposure

Pollution

Certain drugs like  blockers, aspirin etc.

Alcohol, dairy products, orange juice, peanuts etc.

Additives like tartrazine, monosodium glutamate etc.

Certain medical conditions like gastric reflux, rhinitis etc.

Apart from avoiding these Asthma triggers, she would also need to follow the instructions of her gynecologists. She should always be concerned that if the treatment is not working or if she is experiencing any trouble, she must consult with the gynecologists. She can also do some exercises to stay active and healthy.

However, she should always consult a doctor before doing any exercise, especially for those who have experienced Asthma attacks in the past.

Effects of Asthma on Pregnancy

Poor Asthma management and difficult Asthma before pregnancy are associated with increased risk of hypertension during pregnancy, which can beget Preeclampsia. Studies have also shown that women with Asthma tend to undergo Caesarean sections more than others. It has also been observed that Asthma may restrict the growth of the fetus leading to low birth weight.

However, this is more due to poor Asthma control such as persistent breathing difficulty or poor lung function etc., than Asthma per se.

Effects of Pregnancy on Asthma

Certain physiological factors during pregnancy do affect Asthma. In difficult Asthma, control usually deteriorates between 24 and 36 weeks of pregnancy, mainly due to poor adherence to corticosteroids. This is why pregnant women with Asthma should be monitored closely irrespective of the severity of Asthma.

Breathlessness in Pregnancy

Breathlessness during pregnancy is common. In fact, even pregnant women with no Asthma symptoms may feel breathless at times. It reflects some normal physiological and anatomical changes during pregnancy. Even anxiety may precipitate breathlessness. This indicates that pregnant women with difficult Asthma may feel breathless, not just because of Asthma, but also because of normal changes during this period. However, new incidents of Asthma can also be a cause of breathlessness.

Respiratory Distress in Pregnant Women

Respiratory distress in pregnant women may not always be due to asthma. There may be a whole host of reasons that include Anxiety, Hyperventilation, chest infection, dysfunctional breathing, pneumonia, interstitial lung disease, thromboembolic disease, amniotic fluid embolism, pneumothorax, ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias, cardiomyopathy and a variety of endocrine, hematological and renal disorders.

Preventing Respiratory Distress During Pregnancy

Apart from avoiding Asthma triggers, pregnant women with Asthma or difficult Asthma need to strictly adhere to Asthma control. This indicates that they need to adhere to their corticosteroids religiously. However, before that, they also need to make sure that the corticosteroid is safe to be taken during pregnancy.

Asthma may or may not affect pregnancy. However, it is always a great idea to go for Asthma management. This will help women deal with complications related to Asthma during pregnancy.

Apart from that, always consult a doctor before going for any medication related to Asthma control, or actual treatment of Asthma.

Difficult Asthma - All You Should Know!

Are you suffering from chronic bronchitis and are looking for ideal treatment measures? Bronchitis occurs when your windpipe or trachea and your large and small bronchitis within your lungs get inflamed because of infections and several other causes. The condition is considered to be chronic when your cough with mucus is persistent for at least three months. Chronic bronchitis is a condition that falls under the group of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Smoking, inhaled irritants, secondhand smoke, inhaled fumes, and certain viruses are primary causes of chronic bronchitis.

Symptoms
The symptoms and characteristics of chronic bronchitis are as follows:

Phlegm may be produced. The production of excess phlegm indicates that your lung and the lower respiratory tract are infected.
The cough experienced is present on almost all days of the month, for over a period of three months.
The forceful coughing because of chronic bronchitis is painful, and makes your abdominal and chest muscles sore. The coughing is likely to be very severe, and may injure your chest walls or make you faint.
During exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, wheezing may be experienced because of inflammation in the airways and muscular tightness. This, in turn, leads to shortness of breath.
Treatment
The treatment of chronic bronchitis depends on the cause. There is no specific cure for the condition, and its treatment aims at improving your lung function and reducing the symptoms.

Several medicines are used for managing the cough, and for loosening and clearing secretions. In the case of uncontrollable coughing spells, cough suppressants might be prescribed.
Broncho dilator inhalers are used for opening the airways and for the management of wheezing.
Certain nebulizer treatments are also recommended in some cases.
Corticosteroids are used for reducing the inflammation in the airways. These may be used in the form of inhaled corticosteroids, or may be taken orally.
In some cases, antibiotic medications may be required for the treatment of chronic bronchitis. Antibiotics are usually used when there is a bacterial infection, and in people with chronic lung problems, who require antibiotics to be treated.
Home oxygen might be required in extremely serious cases of chronic bronchitis.
In very rare cases, a patient may have to be hospitalized in case of severe breathing difficulty that does not respond to treatment. This is necessary in cases of complications in chronic bronchitis, and in patients who suffer from underlying heart problems.
It is recommended for you to consult a doctor on experiencing any symptom of chronic bronchitis. This will ensure proper diagnosis and an early start to your treatment, which will prevent worsening of the condition.

Chronic Bronchitis - 7 Tips To Help You Get Well!

Asthma is a distressing condition during which people find it difficult to breathe as the bronchi or tubes carrying air to lungs swell up. This happens when mucus inside bronchi comes into contact with an allergen like a pollutant or dirt causing symptoms like wheezing, coughing, more mucus production and difficulty breathing. There is no cure for asthma. As of now, it can only be managed. But managing asthma becomes really difficult during low air quality days, especially during winters when it s cold and dry.

The most common air pollutants are gases like sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, vehicle smoke, and suspended particles. Each one of them can trigger an asthma attack by itself because of its deleterious effect on the lungs. The smaller the particulate matter is, the more dangerous it becomes as these particles get lodged in the air sacs inside lungs, causing not just asthma from worsening but also fatal diseases like lung cancer.

So, most asthma patients suffer from frequent attacks due to air pollution. How can these attacks be prevented? Here are some tips:

According to research, asthma can be managed by making modifications in everyday life. On high air pollution days due to ozone, for example, asthmatics tend to experience more lung inflammation. If you are an asthmatic, you should reduce time spent outdoors, especially doing strenuous activity in the mornings and evenings. Keeping medications on hand and using those at the very start of an asthma attack also helps. There should always be a plan in place to lessen the chance of an asthma attack on poor air quality days starting from a rescue inhaler to preventive medication if your doctor feels you need it.
Stay hydrated and breathe through the nose. Dehydration is dangerous for asthmatics especially when air quality is bad. In this case, lungs can become badly affected because they need right temperature and levels of water to work properly. It s crucial to breathe through the nose only and not the mouth as the air breathed in from the mouth can be very cold and dry and can cause even more inflammation of the lungs.
Know your asthma triggers and change lifestyle. Avoiding your triggers is key to managing asthma. If traffic fumes are a trigger, it s best to change the route you take to work to manage your asthma. If you don t know your triggers look back at your last asthma attack and remember what you were doing. Did you pet your dog? Write a diary and discuss with your doctor on how to avoid your triggers. Use a face mask when outdoors to limit exposure to allergens. 
Track your asthma to recognise early signs of asthma. If you know that it s getting worse, you should have a fool-proof plan in place.

Air Pollution - Tips to Prevent Asthma From Worsening!

Although your body is already in possession of the bacteria leading to tuberculosis, your immune system is able to prevent you from becoming sick. Doctors have made a distinction between latent and active tuberculosis (TB). In case of latent TB, the bacteria in the body in a passive state and it causes no symptoms, and therefore it is not contagious. But, in the case of active TB, you would become sick and may even spread the disease to others. It can take place in the first few weeks or even after several months of being infected with TB bacteria.

What are the symptoms of active TB?

If you are coughing for over three weeks and sometimes even coughing up blood, it can be a sign of TB. 
Chest pain and pain while coughing and breathing along with fatigue, fever, chills and night sweat are the common symptoms of TB along with loss of appetite and unintentional weight loss. TB may even affect other organs of your body, including your brain, spine and kidneys. 
When TB takes place outside the lungs, then the signs of TB can vary as per the organs that are involved. For instance, TB in the spine can cause back pain and that in kidneys may cause blood in the urine.
What are the causes of TB?
TB is caused by a bacteria which spreads from individual to individual via the microscopic droplets that are released into the air. This may happen when an affected person is left untreated and he speaks or sneezes or coughs or laughs. 

Though the disease is contagious, it is not easy to be affected by it. As a result, you are much more likely to get affected with active tuberculosis from a person you live with or come in regular contact with, rather than a stranger. It is important to note here that people who are affected with TB and going through proper medications for over two weeks are no more contagious.

Right from the 1980s, the number of individuals affected with TB has increased dramatically, owing to the spread of HIV, which is the virus known for causing AIDS. A person infected with HIV has a weak immunity system as a result of which it becomes difficult for the body to deal with TB bacteria. So those who have AIDS are more likely to be affected with active TB and sometimes the latent form also progresses to an active one very quickly. Therefore, it is important to seek medical assistance and detect if you have any such health complications concerning TB.

Tuberculosis - Watch Out For These Warning Signs!

Ways To Prevent Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis happened to be a life threatening disease till some years ago. Now, it is curable with medication, however there is very little awareness about the same. It is crucial that awareness is spread to put a stop to this disease. TB spreads through infection, so a simple sneeze or a cough can also be hazardous. Here is how you can stop the spreading:

1. Curb the Spread - If someone already has tuberculosis, they need to cover their mouths when coughing or sneezing. This is actually a habit everyone should follow, as there are many people in whom the tuberculosis virus exists but is dormant.
2. Don’t let it activate - If you have latent tuberculosis, where you have none of the symptoms yet have been identified, you need to take the medication prescribed so that it doesn’t become active.
3. Complete the course - TB is curable but only when medications are taken regularly, strictly, and as prescribed.
4. Avoid exposure to the infected people - People who have been exposed to TB patients should get themselves tested. Remember it spreads through infection; patients need not be kept in isolation if taking proper care and medication.
5. Boost your immunity - Ensure that your own immunity is strong. People with low immunity are at extreme risk of contracting tuberculosis. Take special care if you are a caretaker of someone being treated for tuberculosis, if you do drug and/or alcohol abuse, if you live in crowded spaces like shelters, etc.
6. Improve your lifestyle - Lead a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy, exercising often, reducing alcohol consumption, sleeping well and maintaining good hygiene.


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How To Prevent Tuberculosis(TB) From Spreading And Safeguard Yourself

Acute sinusitis is a type of infection of the sinus. It involves an infection or inflammation of your sinus membranes. The most common symptom of sinusitis is that you have trouble draining mucus from your nose. The sinus is the cavity around the nasal passage and it may swell up when this condition occurs. Usually, the symptoms are temporary. However, sometimes, especially if you suffer from chronic sinusitis,medical intervention is required.

Saline Nasal Spray: This is a spray you put into your nose several times a day to clean your nasal passages.
Nasal Corticosteroids: There are many types of nasal corticosteroids. They include fluticasone, budesonide, mometasone, beclomethsone. These nasal sprays not only help to treat inflammation, they help prevent to prevent inflammation as well.
Aspirin: This is a type of OTC pain relievers and they help relieve the pain of acute sinusitis. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are two other OTC pain relievers which can be used instead of aspirin.
Antibiotics: Antibiotics are usually not required and should never be taken without the doctor's prescription. However, sometimes the doctor may recommend it if he thinks there is a bacterial infection or if the symptoms progress rapidly.
Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy is given when allergies are the reason you are having acute sinusitis. It is rarely needed, however.
Surgery: For sinusitis symptoms which are chronic or occur frequently, nasal surgery may be the best option for permanent relief. A number of different surgical procedures can be used to treat acute sinusitis such as balloon sinuplasty, endoscopic sinus surgery etc.

Treatment of Acute Sinusitis

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