Which doctor treats asthma, one wonders when the first signs of the disease appear. Among chronic pathologies, this is more common than others and affects people of any age.

Timely assistance of specialists is extremely necessary, since the disease gradually leads to a deterioration in the patient’s quality of life and the development of complications in the form of pulmonary heart disease, emphysema, etc.

What is bronchial asthma

In the presence of a non-infectious inflammatory process in the airways, bronchial asthma is diagnosed. The chronic course of inflammation in the respiratory organs causes their hyperreactivity. 

Because of it, under the influence of any stimulus, bronchial obstruction occurs, the speed of air passage slows down, and suffocation appears.

The disease proceeds with remissions and exacerbations, but even when the severity of manifestations decreases, the inflammation does not stop.

Despite the severity of the course, with the right therapy, the intensity and frequency of attacks can be reduced. For this, the patient must constantly monitor his condition and adhere to a healthy lifestyle.

Typical manifestations of asthma

In bronchial asthma, sudden attacks of suffocation are considered the main manifestation. They proceed in three stages:

1. Harbingers. At this stage, symptoms are most pronounced in people with asthma of an infectious and allergic origin. In this case, the person develops allergic rhinitis. In this case, watery discharge appears from the nose, sneezing does not stop.
2. It’s high. This stage begins suddenly. In this case, the patient feels tightness in the chest, which is why he cannot breathe normally. When a person breathes, wheezing is heard, a strong cough appears, the sputum is viscous, its excretion is difficult, which is why breathing is irregular. It becomes easier if you sit down and bend over, so all patients take this position during an attack.
3. Reverse development. Among the symptoms of this stage is the gradual discharge of sputum, while wheezing becomes less, and suffocation recedes.

There are also certain signs that suggest the development of bronchial asthma:

• when a person breathes, you can clearly hear a high pitched wheezing wheeze. This symptom is especially common in children;
• wheezing appears from time to time, while breathing is very difficult. The patient feels tightness in the chest and suffers from attacks of coughing, which are especially severe at night;
• deterioration in health is observed depending on the season, especially during periods of flowering plants;
• a history of allergic diseases, eczema;
• deterioration is observed during the use of certain drugs, exposure to allergens, inhalation of smoke, a sharp change in temperature, respiratory diseases, physical or emotional stress;
• increased incidence of colds;
• after taking an antihistamine or anti-asthma drug, the patient’s condition improves.

If one or more signs are present, an examination should be carried out to confirm or deny the diagnosis.

Urgent hospitalization is required:

• if breathing is difficult in a calm state;
• loud wheezing and whistling are heard;
• there are signs of impaired consciousness;
• there is excessive agitation or drowsiness;
• heart rate exceeds 120 beats per minute;
• taking medications does not help relieve the condition.

In such a situation, you need to call an ambulance.

Which doctor should you contact first?

Although it is impossible to completely stop the pathological process in the respiratory tract, but which doctor treats asthma, you need to find out in order to timely diagnose and start supportive therapy. The attending physician will prescribe medications to control the frequency of attacks and lead a fulfilling life.

If you suspect asthma in adults, you first need to visit a therapist. He will study the clinical picture and refer to a narrow-profile specialist.

Further diagnostics and treatment will be carried out by a pulmonologist. In case of an allergic origin of the disease, the attending physician refers to an allergist. The need for consultation with other specialists is determined based on the general condition of the patient and the characteristics of the course of asthma.

Who is engaged in the treatment of bronchial asthma

If bronchial asthma is diagnosed, which doctor will treat it depends on the causes of the disease. In some cases, therapy is carried out by several doctors at once. But a pulmonologist plays a decisive role in treatment. He determines what the occurrence of seizures is connected with and if he believes that there is a need for this, he prescribes a consultation with a cardiologist, allergist, gastroenterologist, endocrinologist.

In many cases, the correct choice of a specialist determines the success of the treatment. But first, a pulmonary examination is performed. In the clinic, doctors identify the cause of the development of bronchial asthma and select methods not only to relieve symptoms, but also to eliminate the source of the disease.

Pathological processes in the bronchi and associated asthma attacks are treated by a pulmonologist. But if suffocation is provoked by allergens, then an allergist should identify them.

The examination scheme during a visit to a pulmonologist will be as follows:

1. Conduct profile studies to confirm or deny the diagnosis.
2. They are sent for examination to an allergist in order to identify under the influence of which factors the patient’s condition worsens.
3. If there are no allergic causes of pathology, then you need to visit an endocrinologist, since the appearance of bronchial spasms is often associated with hormonal disorders in the body.
4. If you suspect a pathology of the heart and blood vessels, adult patients are referred to a cardiologist.
5. If a reflux-induced form of bronchial asthma is found, a gastroenterologist must be involved in the treatment of the disease. 

Only in the course of a comprehensive examination and examination by several specialists, it is possible to accurately determine the cause of breathing disorders and choose the most appropriate treatment option.

Interaction of all specialists

Asthma can be diagnosed only after a comprehensive examination.

The diagnosis and treatment of bronchial asthma is in the field of pulmonology. Only a pulmonologist can confirm the diagnosis. If the patient has complaints and characteristic manifestations, he conducts spirometry. This procedure is needed to assess the degree of bronchial obstruction and to accurately diagnose bronchial asthma. To obtain detailed information about the state of the respiratory system, the procedure is carried out several times.

Peak expiratory activity should also be measured with a peak flow meter .

After these examinations, an allergist is involved in the process. He must determine which allergens are causing the asthma attacks. For this, a blood test for immunoglobulins is done, skin tests with allergens and other studies are performed.

A chest x-ray is often prescribed. In addition, computed tomography can be performed. This will help to exclude secondary lesions of the respiratory system, as well as the presence of foreign bodies in the airways.

An important part of the examination is a consultation with an otolaryngologist. It can reveal an inflammatory process in the larynx, due to which swelling of the mucous membrane can spread to the bronchi.

To exclude the possibility of asthmatic symptoms due to hormonal imbalance, the endocrinologist prescribes blood tests for hormone levels.

Thanks to the close interaction of different specialists, the causes of the pathological process and the features of the development of bronchial asthma are identified. Doctors will also select the most effective treatment to improve the patient’s health.

Who treats asthma in children

If symptoms of the disease appear in a child, then parents are interested in which doctor treats bronchial asthma in children.

Difficulties with timely detection of the disease can arise for the reason that parents often confuse the first symptoms of asthma with respiratory diseases, which are quite common in children.

If you suspect the development of pathology, parents should visit a pediatrician. He will study the clinical picture, prescribe a number of diagnostic procedures. The diagnosis of bronchial asthma is confirmed and treatment is prescribed by a pediatric allergist and a pulmonologist.

Therapy should be carried out only by a qualified doctor, since in childhood the disease often leads to an acute form of respiratory failure. At home and using folk remedies, trying to alleviate the child’s condition is unacceptable.

Why you should start treatment on time

Asthma treatment will not help completely get rid of the pathology. But appropriate measures make it possible to achieve partial or complete control over the disease. If a specialist makes a diagnosis and starts therapy in the early stages of the disease, this will reduce the severity of symptoms.

With a protracted pathological process, the absence of treatment or the ineffectiveness of the methods used, the disease becomes severe. At the same time, an asthmatic person feels much worse than people with a mild course of the disease. The disease affects the functioning of all body systems.

In such cases, adult patients are prescribed hormonal treatment. It usually involves the use of glucocorticosteroids . In rare cases, they are prescribed to children, but with extreme caution and under the strict supervision of a doctor. This is due to the fact that hormonal drugs have a negative effect on the body, children are especially hard to tolerate. Therefore, such therapy is resorted to as a last resort.

If bronchial asthma is of infectious and allergic origin, is associated with persistent bronchitis, pneumonia, pneumosclerosis, only a pulmonologist should prescribe treatment to patients.

If a person suffers from an allergic form of bronchial asthma, then the patient’s condition will be monitored by an allergist. But regardless of the cause of the violations, a specialist should monitor the patient’s condition.

Finally

It is useful for everyone to know which doctor to contact for asthma, so that if symptoms of the disease appear, they can take action in time.

Bronchial asthma proceeds with periods of exacerbation and remission, but if it is timely detected and treated in a timely manner, remission can be made stable and long-lasting. The prognosis for the disease depends on the severity, the patient’s attitude to their own health and the accuracy of adherence to the doctor’s prescriptions.

To improve the patient’s quality of life, the prevention of exacerbations plays an important role. It is necessary to quit smoking, minimize contact with allergens, and treat chronic infections.