Asthma attacks have become common sightings especially in large metro cities with high pollution levels. Asthma is a chronic condition and it can attack people of all ages including kids. According to a data on asthmatic patients, nearly 10% children are affected from it.
The good thing is that living with asthma has become easy with medical advancements. There are medicines, emergency help and people also know how to help patients during asthma attacks.
Things to do when a person gets asthma attack
Understand the symptoms
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Tightness in chest
The increased sticky mucus and phlegm in chest makes it very difficult to breath. You should be quick to understand the symptoms and act fast.
When you see an asthmatic patient under attack, you should first try to reduce his stress by whatever means you can….
- First of all, you shouldn’t get panicked to see an asthma If you can stay calm, you can encourage the patient to remain calm and come out of stress.
- After taking control of the situation, you should sit the patient down and see whether he’s wearing tight clothes. If yes, you should immediately release him from the pressure of tight outfits.
- Take out the reliver inhaler (usually blue) from the patient and help him take one to two puffs immediately. Give him more puffs, if he doesn’t feel better and keep giving the puffs until the emergency help is arrived.
- The attack could be due to pollution, dust or due to smell of chemicals. If it is due to an allergy, you should immediately take the patient away from the trigger to give him fast relief.
- Hot caffeinated beverage like coffee can also provide quick relief from shortness of breath but only for one or two hours. Meanwhile you should seek emergency help from nearby a hospital or clinic.
Number of asthma patients is increasing day by day but the good thing is that it is curable with routine checkup, medication and precaution. Also, you can help patients recover from asthma attacks with your presence of knowledge.
The best treatment for asthma is awareness and training to prevent asthma attacks. There could be an asthmatic in your family or one travelling with you in metro. If you find an asthmatic patient suffering from attack, you can immediately rush to his help, if you know what to do during asthma attacks.