How To Prevent Colds If You Have Asthma?

Colds

Prevention is better than cure. Avoiding the triggers and allergens will help in preventing colds and an asthma attack. Cold treatment by DoctoronCall is available if you still get a common cold despite all the preventive measures done. The triggers and allergens are:

  • Cold weather
  • Exercise
  • Dust mite
  • Pet dander
  • Moulds
  • Certain food
  • Pollens
  • Cigarette
  • Fumes from perfumes or cleaning agents
  • Certain medications like antihypertensives

Common cold can be the manifestation of asthma or the trigger for an asthma attack. Preventing asthma attack can also prevent any

Asthma is a chronic condition that usually diagnosed early in life. They are mostly diagnosed before the age of seven. This condition varies in severity, has multiple signs and symptoms, and a list of complications. Asthma is a life-threatening disease in certain countries with inadequate health facilities. It’s common respiratory problems and responsible for many hospital admissions, especially among kids and teenagers. Asthma treatment always needed every time the preventive measures fail.

Asthma runs in the family and this disease may cause death without adequate treatment. It’s always better to prevent rather than cure. After knowing what to avoid, let’s go through other ways to prevent and fight asthma, subsequently common cold. They are:

  • Asthma diary
  • Compliance to follow-ups and check-ups
  • Proper techniques in using inhalers
  • Consume medications on time

1- Asthma diary

Asthma’s diary is where you record all the details about your conditions in between follow-ups. It must include your daytime symptoms, nighttime symptoms, exacerbating factors, triggers, needs for inhalers and also PEFR readings.

2- Compliance to follow-ups and check-ups

You must always come regularly for check-ups and follow-ups as this disease is dynamic. Asthma treatment is also dynamic. Your doctor might need to reduce or increase your doses, depending on your current condition. Your doctor might reduce or add some new medications if necessary.

3- Proper techniques in using inhalers

One of the anti-asthmatic medications is inhalers. There are various types of inhalers which are colour coded to make it easier to recognize. Inhalers demand good hand-breathing coordination to achieve the desired effect. You can ask your doctor to demonstrate it to you and practice it accordingly. Make it a habit to re-check your techniques every time you visit a doctor.

4- Consume medications on time

This is so important especially for medications that have a specific schedule or time for you to take. This is to ensure the optimum level of the medications are readily there in your body to act accordingly. This is also important in preventing unnecessary side effects following overdose.

Let’s say that you are an asthmatic patient and start having a cough, it might due to an asthma attack or a common cold. It is wise to go and visit a doctor or start supportive measures like taking anti-cough medications. Anti-cough medications have very few and less dangerous side effects in contrast to anti-asthmatic medications like Seretide.

Self-treating is not a good habit as you are jeopardizing your well-being or the health of the people you love. One disease comprises of so many signs and symptoms. Treating symptoms doesn’t always mean you are treating a disease. The knowledge of medicine is needed for you to identify one or more diseases in a person and treat the diseases separately or together.