Bronchial asthma is a dangerous disease of the respiratory system, which is accompanied by attacks of suffocation and prolonged coughing. It is impossible to completely cure this disease, and with the wrong therapy, the likelihood of complications is high.
Therefore, patients are often interested in whether it is possible to die from asthma. To answer this question, it is necessary to consider the characteristics of the disease, complications, the reasons for their development and the risks associated with them.
Features of the disease
Although asthma is an incurable disease, it is not considered fatal. Most patients can survive to old age without significant discomfort due to their diagnosis. But for this it is necessary to follow the doctor’s recommendations regarding medication and preventive measures and attend scheduled examinations. With such a pathology, it is very important to control your well-being.
BA is caused by increased sensitivity of the bronchi to adverse external influences. Under their influence, bronchospasm occurs, due to which the patient has difficulty breathing. In the bronchi of asthma, there is always an inflammatory process, which is why mucus accumulates in them.
It interferes with the penetration of air into the lungs and prevents oxygenation of the body. With bronchospasm, the situation is aggravated, which leads to oxygen starvation and asthma attacks. In especially severe cases, the oxygen supply may stop completely, which can cause the patient to suffocate.
The symptoms of asthma are as follows:
- severe cough with or without sputum discharge, which may worsen at night;
- wheezing in the chest;
- feeling of tightness in the chest;
- the need to use additional muscle groups during inhalation;
- difficulty breathing up to suffocation.
These features do not appear immediately. At the initial stage, the symptoms of the disease are insignificant, which complicates the diagnosis. But the earlier the disease is detected, the more likely a favorable prognosis. Using the drugs prescribed by the doctor, it will be possible to avoid the progression of pathology and complications.
Mortality in bronchial asthma is low, and the prognosis, despite the chronic nature of its course, is usually favorable. If the patient takes medications prescribed by a specialist and follows the rules of prevention, then there will be no significant deterioration in his condition. Death from asthma is most likely in those who ignore the doctor’s advice.
How many live with asthma
No one can predict the life expectancy of an asthmatic patient. Many circumstances influence this. If you follow the doctor’s recommendations, the likelihood of dying from asthma is very low. Correctly selected drugs and preventive measures allow a person to live to old age. Deaths in asthma patients are possible due to their inappropriate behavior.
This is usually smoking, due to which the disease progresses rapidly. Also, death can be caused by the lack of systematicity when taking medications and non-compliance with their dosages. With such carelessness, the impact of a traumatic factor can provoke a severe attack. Lack of help in this situation ends tragically.
Causes of death in asthma
AD is not a fatal diagnosis, but patients can die from this disease. Therefore, it is necessary to know why a lethal outcome is possible. To do this, you should find out the most common causes of death from asthma.
Most often, asthmatics die due to their own carelessness or carelessness. This disease requires careful monitoring and constant therapy, due to which the state of remission can be prolonged.
But it also happens that, despite the fulfillment of all medical appointments, the patient still dies. Sudden attacks of suffocation lead to death when the patient does not have the necessary drugs or cannot use them. This happens most often in children. No less dangerous are night attacks, during which the asthmatic wakes up due to the fact that he cannot breathe.
Sometimes patients die not because of bronchial asthma, but because of its complications. Respiratory failure, which is the main characteristic of pathology, leads to the appearance of many concomitant diseases. Some of them become fatal.
The severe consequences of AD usually develop in adult patients who have been living with this diagnosis for many years. With age, the body weakens, its protective functions decrease. This leads to the progression of asthma and the appearance of additional diseases.
In adults
Asthma in adults can be fatal. The older the patient, the more problems with the body he may have. This is due to age-related changes, due to which cell regeneration and elimination of disorders occur much more slowly. With age, the production of necessary substances that regulate the functioning of internal organs gradually decreases, cases of vitamin deficiency are more often observed.
All this becomes the reason for the weakening of immunity and increased sensitivity to external influences. Therefore, AD in people of mature and old age is very difficult. They often have bronchospasm, and the symptoms caused by this phenomenon are very intense.
It is also in these patients that bronchial asthma often leads to serious consequences. This is also due to age-related changes, due to which oxygen starvation is especially detrimental to the state of internal organs. If a person has been suffering from asthma for a long time, then there is a high probability of developing such deviations as:
- hypoxia of the brain;
- emphysema;
- renal failure;
- thrombosis;
- myocardial infarction;
- stroke.
Any of these pathologies can cause death of the patient.
The risk of sudden death from asthma increases significantly in retirement age. It is difficult for such patients to monitor their well-being due to impaired memory and concentration. Many people have problems with mobility and reaction speed. In a severe asthmatic attack, this can be fatal.
In children
The onset of death in childhood asthma is due to the characteristics of the organism of babies. In young patients, the immune system is not fully formed, which is why AD can be especially severe in them. As you grow older and strengthen the body, symptomatic manifestations may subside. That is why severe forms of the disease are usually recorded in young children, and not in adolescents.
The second reason why asthmatic children die is their inability to assess their well-being and inform their parents about the discomfort when they approach. Therefore, adults notice an attack only when the child is very ill. Also, children are not able to follow medical recommendations regarding preventive measures. Therefore, parents should prevent the baby from coming into contact with traumatic factors.
The situation is complicated by the fact that children are more sensitive to insufficient oxygen intake. Their organs are still developing, so hypoxia leads to the appearance of additional diseases. This can aggravate the baby’s condition.
Most often, deaths of children from asthma occur during an unexpected nighttime attack of suffocation, when there are no adults near the small patient who can provide assistance. Also, death is likely at the first manifestation of asthma. Unaware of the presence of such a pathology in a child, parents do not know how to act, and sometimes they cannot correctly assess his condition.
Analyzing other situations when a sad event has occurred due to asthma, it is possible to name the wrong therapy as the cause. Doctors do not always prescribe steroids for children that they need, or they are prescribed in doses that are too small. The medicine is not working and the disease continues to develop. As a result, a severe attack is fatal.
The last risk factor is the lack of parental awareness of caring for an asthmatic child. Also, there is no clear therapeutic program designed to combat asthma in children. Doctors have to experiment with dosages to find the right treatment, which slows down the results.
How to reduce your risk of dying from asthma
There is only one way to reduce your risk of dying from asthma, which is to control the disease. This implies the use of a variety of methods, selected according to the clinical picture and individual characteristics.
Correct asthma treatment is key. The specialist must prescribe the appropriate medication to control the seizures. The patient should always keep these drugs within reach so that they can be used as needed.
It is also important to prevent flare-ups. Since asthmatic attacks occur under the influence of external stimuli, it is necessary to exclude contact with them or minimize dangerous interactions. Patients are advised to avoid cigarette smoke, strong odors, dust, wool, cold.
In addition, measures to strengthen and improve the body are very important. They imply adherence to a hypoallergenic diet, taking immunomodulatory agents and vitamins, moderate activity, performing breathing exercises, and frequent exposure to fresh air.
The patient should independently investigate the functional features of the respiratory system using a peak flow meter . This will allow you to notice an impending attack before symptoms appear and take the necessary measures to stop it.
What to do during an attack
Since the most common are deaths from an unexpected attack of bronchial asthma, you need to know how to act in such a situation. The most effective way to treat an asthmatic attack is to use medication. Therefore, the patient should not leave the house without an inhaler.
It should be borne in mind that drugs can be slow and fast acting. To eliminate sudden symptoms, you must use fast-acting remedies. Slow-acting drugs are not suitable for use during an exacerbation of the disease.
After taking the medicine, it is necessary to eliminate the traumatic effect that provoked the appearance of symptoms.
Prevention of exacerbations
Death from asthma scares many people with asthma. To prevent such an outcome, it is necessary to pay attention to the prevention of exacerbations.
It implies frequent consultations with your doctor, hypoallergenic nutrition, giving up bad habits, strengthening the body. The patient must carefully monitor his health and follow medical recommendations. If you find any changes, you should report them to a specialist.
