Let's Talk About
Asthma
Asthma also called branchial asthma
A condition in which a person’s airways become inflamed, narrow, swell, and produce extra mucus which makes it difficult to breathe.
Asthma can be minor or it can interfere with daily activities. In some cases, it may lead to a life-threatening attack. Asthma may cause difficulty breathing, chest pain, cough, and wheezing. The symptoms may sometimes flare-up.
Asthma can usually be managed with rescue inhalers to treat
symptoms and controller inhales that prevent symptoms. Severe cases may require
longer-acting inhalers that keep the airway open as well as oral steroids.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Also called COPD
A group of lung diseases that block airflow and make it difficult to breathe.
Emphysema and Chronic bronchitis are the most common conditions that make up COPD. Damage to the lungs from COPD. Damage to the lungs from COPD can’t be reversed. Symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, or a chronic cough.
Proper diagnosis and treatment with rescue inhalers and inhaled or oral steroids can help control your symptoms and minimize further damage.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts.
If you snore loudly and feel tired even after a full night’s sleep, you might have sleep apnea.
Symptoms:
- Loud snoring
- Episodes in which you stop breathing during sleep which would be reported by another person
- Gasping for air during sleep
- Awakening with dry mouth
- Morning headache
- Difficulty staying asleep (insomnia)
- Excessive daytime sleepiness (hypersomnia)
- Difficulty paying attention while awake
- Irritability
Complications
Sleep apnea is a serious medical condition.
Complications include:
- Daytime fatigue. The repeated awakenings associated with sleep apnea make normal, restorative sleep impossible, making severe daytime drowsiness, fatigue and irritability likely.
You might have difficulty concentrating and find yourself falling asleep at work, while watching TV or even when driving. People with sleep apnea have an increased risk of motor vehicle and workplace accidents.
You might also feel quick-tempered, moody or depressed. Children and adolescents with sleep apnea might perform poorly in school or have behavior problems. - High blood pressure or heart problems. Sudden drops in blood oxygen levels that occur during sleep apnea increase blood pressure and strain the cardiovascular system.
Obstructive sleep apnea might also increase your risk of recurrent heart attack, stroke and abnormal heartbeats, such as arterial fibrillation. If you have heart disease, multiple episodes of low blood oxygen (hypoxia or hypoxemia) can lead to sudden death from an irregular heartbeat. - Type 2 diabetes. Having sleep apnea increases your risk of developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
- Metabolic syndrome. This disorder, which includes high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, high blood sugar and an increased waist circumference, is linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
- Complications with medications and surgery. Obstructive sleep apnea is also a concern with certain medications and general anesthesia. People with sleep apnea might be more likely to have complications after major surgery because they’re prone to breathing problems, especially when sedated and lying on their backs.
- Before you have surgery, tell your doctor about your sleep apnea and how it is being treated.
- Liver problems. People with sleep apnea are more likely to have abnormal results on liver function tests, and their livers are more likely to show signs of scarring (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease).
- Sleep deprived partners. Loud snoring can keep anyone who sleeps near you from getting good rest. It’s not uncommon for a partner to have to go to another room, or even another floor of the house to be able to sleep.