Bronchial asthma is considered one of the most severe conditions. It has a chronic course and, if not controlled, gradually progresses. Both adults and children suffer from this pathology . The main characteristic of asthma is that, as a result of sensitization of the body by certain allergens, a special condition is formed – hyperresponsiveness of the bronchi. When a person encounters provoking factors, a bronchospasm develops, in which suffocation is felt (lack of air with shortness of breath). It is in this situation that an inhaler with drugs that relieve spasm and restore normal breathing will help. However, only a doctor should recommend the use of such an inhaler.
Inhalers for asthma attacks
Bronchial asthma characterized by the fact that it develops special attacks of suffocation, which significantly violate pulmonary ventilation, in severe conditions leading to serious complications, up to the death of the patient. It is necessary to respond to attacks from the very beginning, otherwise the condition can go into serious shape when the help of doctors is needed, and without the use of medications, asphyxiation can become fatal. This can be helped by a modern inhaler that delivers drugs to relieve bronchospasm directly to the respiratory tract. The effect occurs literally in a few minutes, while the drugs taken orally will be absorbed for a long time and accumulate in the plasma, from there penetrating into the bronchi. The inhaler can be home, stationary, and used if the attack began when the patient is busy with usual activities. Another option is a pocket inhaler, which you can always and everywhere take with you, taking the drug at the slightest sign of an attack.
Inhaler use: what is worth knowing?
One of the fastest and most effective ways to relieve an asthma attack is to use an inhaler. With the help of the smallest particles of aerosol, the drug is delivered to the bronchi, reaching their smallest branches. Attacks can be so swift that sometimes there is no time to wait for the effect of a pill or injection, you need to immediately remove muscle spasm. That is why the use of an inhaler, which acts directly in the area of the bronchi, can be attributed to emergency care and a means for emergency situations. In the interictal periods for the treatment of asthma, the whole spectrum of drugs is used – here there are injections, and tablets, and local drugs.
The use of the inhaler is possible both in adults and in children, starting from preschool age, when they understand the principle of the drug and can correctly inhale the substance. For very little ones, stationary inhalers are usually used, which deliver the drug using a mask and the formation of a fine aerosol.
All inhaled drugs against asthma are divided into two large classes – bronchodilators, which relieve spasms of the muscle elements of the bronchus, and expand the lumen of the vessels and thus facilitate shortness of breath. Also, inhalers use anti-inflammatory drugs, which are used in courses of several weeks to relieve swelling and inflammation in the bronchial region. In recent years, inhalers with hormonal agents have become widespread – they are also actively used in the treatment of asthma.
Due to the fact that the inhaled drug is administered in small doses and penetrates directly into the place of its main action, in many cases it loses its side effects, and works much better than similar drugs administered orally.
What do you need to know?
The first analogues of an inhaler appeared at the end of the XIX century. Today, there are many models and varieties of this device. Each of the species has its own undoubted advantages and disadvantages, and which inhaler is better, can only tell a doctor in each case, based on the characteristics of the disease. All types of inhalers are designed to quickly deliver the drug to the bronchial region to relieve or significantly alleviate the attack, normalizing breathing functions. All inhalers form a fine cloud of the drug, which reaches even the small bronchi. Today it is the best option for first aid for attacks.
Pocket inhaler
Among asthmatics, a pocket inhaler is most common. It can be of two types – powder or liquid. The first option of a pocket inhaler has a dispenser and allows you to accurately enter the required dose of drugs. Such devices are very easy to use, but expensive.
A liquid pocket inhaler is cheaper; it is more common and popular among patients. However, such a device has a drawback: it will be effective only in cases where the patient takes a breath at the same time, and at the same time the drug is released from the can.
At home, stationary devices can also be used, but as an emergency aid, they are not always convenient. Usually they are used for preventive treatment, and a pocket inhaler for emergency care. It is already seasoned with the right drug in certain dosages and is ready to work immediately.
The doctor will help you choose the right inhaler, but the convenience of use is also important when buying. Therefore, a pocket inhaler will be the most advantageous of all. But you still need to learn how to use it correctly, and it is good if he is able to dose a drug. The cost of the drug also plays a significant role, asthmatics will have to acquire a pocket inhaler often, since the medicine is actively consumed.
Which inhaler is better?
This question will be difficult, and the answer to it in each case will be different. You need to approach the choice individually and with the participation of a doctor. But if you answer the question of which inhaler is better in general, it should be a device that quickly and effectively stops choking, has no side effects and is easy to use even for children. Typically, patients throughout life with asthma try several different devices to determine for themselves which inhaler is best for them. The most common among asthmatics are Symbicort and Salbutamol, the former is classified as powder and is strictly dosed. The second is suitable for children and adults, quickly and practically without side effects it stops attacks.
