The role of aerosols is to inhibit hyperactivity in asthma patients and to remove acute symptoms. This is done with two types of drugs: control drugs that help control the disease (Controller), and quick-acting medicines help to remove symptoms of acute (Reliever), and the distinction between the two types of patients is very necessary.
Control drugs are drugs that inhibit the patient’s over-response and prevent allergic reaction within the bronchus, mainly cortisone sprays. Why Cortisone?
Because the best types of drugs inhibition of hyperactivity and to prevent the secretion of chemicals that cause the inflammation of the allergies that we talked about the last time. Therefore, these drugs contribute to preventing long-term changes in the tracheal wall, and thus contribute to maintaining lung function without deterioration.
Not all patients need these drugs. The disease may be mild, requiring only emergency drugs. If the patient needs control drugs, he must take them regularly, and for a period of not less than three months continuous even if symptoms continue during that period. Why? Because it is time to discourage the chemicals involved in allergic inflammation inhibition significantly prevents chronic changes in the wall of the trachea and preserves lung function.
Therefore, the corticosteroids are safe, very few, and reach the bronchus where they work, and their absorption in the blood is very low, so their side effects are almost non-existent. At worst, the negative symptoms of these sprays are much less than the negative symptoms of asthma in the short and long term . The most common side effects are the possibility of fungi in the mouth, so the patient is advised to wash after use.
What happens if the patient does not regulate the control drugs? He has asthma symptoms from time to time, and symptoms are so severe that he has to go to the hospital. Doctors may have to give him a vein injection or a short-term oral dose of cortisone. This dose is shorter than the total dose of cortisone sprays over three months. That their access to the blood is greater and therefore their side effects are greater, as well as they do not prevent long-term changes in the tracheal wall!
What about emergency drugs? These drugs extend their bronchial function during acute seizures to reduce the severity of the symptoms, thus normal life, preventing the disease from worsening and reaching the critical and emergency stage. These medicines are kept with the patient in his pocket, near him during sleep, and take them when necessary and before exercise.
It remains very important, that these drugs will be useless if taken in the wrong way! Therefore, it is the duty of the doctor to teach the patient how to use the sprays correctly, and the patient must confirm this before leaving the clinic. And you are healthy and well ..
Dr.. Anas Al-Muhtasib