Asthma is a chronic condition of our airways where they are inflamed and congested. This congestion is due to the inflammation and deposition of mucus. Extra thick and sticky mucus clogs our airways and blocks the pathway of air getting to our respiratory tract. Silent asthma is not a medical term but has made its way into the vocabulary of the lexicon of medical understanding. It is more about silent symptoms rather than the disease itself. The word silent here refers to the absence of audible symptoms of asthma, the most common being the wheezing sound.
What is Silent Asthma
All asthmatics do not wheeze, and all wheezing symptoms are not of asthma. This means, it is not necessary that the person, who does not produce wheezing noise while breathing, can not have asthma. Or a person who produces such audible noises may necessarily have asthma.
Symptoms of silent asthma include:
– Tightness in the chest
– Difficulty while breathing
– Frequent yawning
– Troubled speaking
– Rapid breathing
– Frequent sighing
– Fatigue
– Dizziness
Causes:
There is no specific way to find out the accurate cause of silent asthma. There are certain risk factors though, which are responsible for the development of the disease in an individual. These include:
– Genetic reasons
– Obesity
– Several infections of the respiratory system
– Pollutants present in the air
– Allergies
Having silent asthma is more or less not different from asthma, however, the symptoms are moderate and less severe. Your healthcare expert might inform you about having the disease before it progresses in your body. Because the disease has not intensified yet. You might experience audible symptoms too, but not necessarily every time.
Treatment:
Several tests can help to diagnose the hidden disease of our airways, especially when it has silent symptoms but is producing great discomfort. The treatments will follow thereafter. Treatment of this disease is not just one approach. It is a blend of medication, therapies, exercises, and precautions.
Medications include the treatment of both acute and chronic conditions. It is necessary to control both these, especially in cases of silent chest and it can slowly prove to be fatal. Prolonged deficiency of oxygen supplied to our cells can affect the functioning of an organ. Prevention and precautions are the two key mantras that can help in both controlling the disease and improving the quality of life.
Avoiding coming in contact with the triggers can impact the condition directly. Asthma triggers such as dust, smoke, pollutants in the air, hardcore physical activities, dry air, chemical substances, etc., if inhaled can induce silent attacks of asthma. Asthma patients need to take proper preventive measures, to prevent themselves from inhaling such substances and triggering their conditions. Inhalers and Nebulizers can be helpful. Keep them handy and available if you are diagnosed with the disease. These can help to dilate the muscles allowing smoother breathing of air inside and reducing the shortage of supply of oxygen through inhaled air inside our lungs.
