Types of asthma and How they affect you

When you present yourself to your healthcare professional with asthma symptoms, one of the first things your healthcare professional does is to determine which type of asthma you are suffering from so that it can be managed accordingly and effectively. Irrespective of type, asthma symptoms are managed in the following ways that have resulted in the management of asthma or bronchial asthma.

• Use of preventer inhaler: A preventer inhaler is used daily, irrespective of the appearance of symptoms.
• Use of reliever inhaler: A reliever inhaler is used only when symptoms appear.
• Use of an asthma diary: An asthma diary should be maintained by asthma patients to note down the time and place of the symptoms’ appearance for better future management.
• A regular check-up with your healthcare professional to monitor the progression of asthma.

Different types of asthma and how they affect you

1. Allergic asthma 

Different allergens like pollen, pet hair, dust, and dust mites trigger allergic asthma. This type is also called atopic asthma and is the most common. About 80% of asthma patients have this type of asthma. 

2. Non-allergic asthma 

As the name suggests, non-allergic asthma is a type of asthma that is not triggered by any allergens like pollen or dust mites. It is also called non-atopic asthma and is less common than atopic asthma. It is found to be developed later in most asthma patients. If you observe that any allergens do not trigger your asthma symptoms, you might have non-atopic asthma, and you should consult your healthcare professional. 

3. Exercise-Induced asthma

Most asthma patients experience tightening of lung airways when they try to do exercise. It can also occur in people without asthma. If you don’t have asthma but experience the tightening of airway muscles, coughing, and shortness of breath during exercise, consult your healthcare professional. They can help you do the following things 

• They will check your lung function with spirometry or peak flow tests.
• They will check how your airway muscles react to challenging exercises like running on a treadmill. 
• They will recommend some medications to help you exercise without getting the symptoms.

Read more – Asthma exercises to keep your asthma under control

4. Severe asthma 

This type of asthma is also known as severe acute asthma; only 4% of asthma patients suffer from this type. This type of asthma is usually diagnosed and managed by specialists. Severe asthma is a type of difficult asthma that generally doesn’t respond to treatment, and your healthcare professional or doctor may decide on further assessments and tests if 

• It is hard to control your asthma symptoms, even with prescribed medications.
• Two or more severe asthma attacks are observed, needing corticosteroids to manage in a year.
• One or more hospitalisation are observed because of asthma attacks in a year.
• The use of a reliever inhaler is observed twice or thrice a week.
• Day-to-day activities are affected because of your asthma.
• The sleep cycle is getting affected by your asthma symptoms.

If you have severe asthma, your healthcare professional might recommend long-term corticosteroids to manage inflammation in your airways. Some patients are treated with biologics that prevent asthma symptoms and reduce asthma attacks.

5. Childhood asthma 

Some children, who experience asthma symptoms and are diagnosed with asthma, may overgrow it, and their asthma may disappear as they grow old. This is called childhood asthma or also known as pediatric asthma. It is a possibility that asthma might return later in life.

6. Mild asthma 

Mild or intermittent asthma is a type of asthma that happens when you experience symptoms like wheezing and coughing at least twice a week. These asthma symptoms may flare up at night or twice a month. 

7. Adult-onset asthma 

Asthma usually appears in childhood for most patients, but for some patients, it is first diagnosed when they are adults. This type is known as adult-onset asthma or late-onset asthma. Some of the possible reasons for adult-onset asthma are

• Occupation: Around 1 in 10 cases of adult-onset asthma are because of occupational hazards.
• Stress
• Female hormones: One of the many reasons females develop asthma as adults are their hormones.
• Smoking and passive smoking.

8. Occupational asthma 

The primary and only reason that this type of asthma develops is the occupational environment you work in. You might have occupational asthma if 

• Your asthma symptoms appear as an adult.
• Your asthma symptoms appear when you are at work.
• Your asthma symptoms improve when you are not at work.

Many things can cause this type of asthma. For example, if you are a healthcare provider, latex might be a trigger, and if you work in a bakery, dust flour can act as a trigger. You should immediately consult your health care professional if you think your work environment is causing asthma symptoms. 

9. Seasonal asthma 

Some people experience flare-ups of asthma symptoms during a certain time. As the season changes, you may experience asthma symptoms. You must use your preventer inhaler to prevent symptoms. If you experience symptoms during the season change, you can consult with your healthcare professional. 

10. Difficult asthma 

As the name suggests, this type of asthma is difficult to control or manage. About 17% of asthma patients are suffering from this type in which it is difficult to manage the symptoms. You may have difficulty with asthma if 

• Too much of your reliever inhaler is observed. 
• Symptoms appear more often.
• The sleep gets disturbed often because of the appearance of the symptoms.

If you are experiencing above mentioned points, then immediately consult your healthcare professional or specialist for its management.

Conclusion

If you are aware of the types of asthma, it will be easy for you to manage it better. Along with the awareness, you should always have an asthma action plan to help you manage your symptoms in case of asthma attacks. If the mild asthma symptoms are not managed in time, they can become severe. Hence information and awareness are of utmost importance. Choose any remedy and stay healthy. Get free teleconsultation from our expert doctors once you order medicine from our online pharmacy – Truemeds, or download our Truemeds app. You can avail of branded and generic medication by uploading your prescription on Truemeds. When placing an order for medicines online, you may save more money by selecting alternative or generic medicine advised by Truemed’s expert doctors and can save up to 72% on your purchase and get free home delivery* pan India.

Frequently asked questions

Disclaimer- The information given in this article is true to our best knowledge. Still, we recommend that you consult your healthcare professional before practising any information mentioned in this article.