According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of 2008, 16.4 million American adults and 7 million children currently have asthma. That is equivalent to 7.3 percent of the adult population and 9.4 percent of children. In 2006, asthma was responsible for 13.3 million hospital and doctor visits. There are various types of remedies for this disease.
Household Environment
Physicians make several suggestions of changes to the household environment to decrease the number of asthma attacks. Russell Blair, M.D., of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center writes in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals," that people with asthma should not have any pets, carpets, soft children toys or upholstered furniture. Physicians recommend that they only buy pillows that are made of synthetic fibers, and wash their pillowcases and sheets in hot water on a frequent basis. They should use dehumidifiers in damp rooms and basements, steam clean and exterminate. People with asthma should not smoke cigarettes or have cigarette smoke inside the household.
Beta-adrenergic Agonists
Receptors are proteins on cell membranes or inside of the cells. They wait for instructions that tell them what to do. Agonists are medications that stimulate the receptors. Beta-adrenergic agonists stimulate receptors called the beta-one and beta-two receptors. When medications stimulate beta-two receptors, they make the bronchi airway passages of the lungs dilate. This is why beta-adrenergic agonists are remedies for asthma because in this disease, the bronchi are clogged with mucus. In "Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Pulmonary Medicine," David Kaminsky, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, explains that albuterol and levalbuterol are beta-adrenergic agonists, with effects that last 4 to 6 hours. Formoterol and salmeterol last for 12 hours.
Cromolyn Sodium
Cromolyn sodium is a medication that decreases the amount of substances released from the mast cells. Mast cells are special cells that release certain substances whenever a tissue has been injured or when they detect a foreign substance, according to Elizabeth Corwin, Ph.D. in "Handbook of Pathophysiology." All of the substances they release add to the inflammation of the lungs and make the bronchi constrict, or have a smaller airway.
Corticosteroids
This hormone is made in the outer section of the adrenal gland, or the adrenal cortex. Dr. Blair writes in "The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals," that corticosteroids are used because they interfere with inflammation and increase the response of the beta-two receptors, to make sure that the bronchi stay dilated.
Ipratropium
Ipratropium is a remedy for asthma because it is an anticholinergic. It is "anti" the receptors called the acetylcholine receptors. It blocks the acetylcholine receptors. One of the effects from blocking this type of receptor is the dilation of the bronchi airways. As Dr. Kaminsky writes in "Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Pulmonary Medicine," ipratropium is weaker than the beta-adrenergic agonists.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Asthma
- "Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Pulmonary Medicine"; Michael Hanley, M.D., Carolyn Welsh, M.D.; 2003
- "Handbook of Pathophysiology"; Elizabeth Corwin, MSN, Ph.D., FNP; 2000
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Asthma
