ပန်းနာရင်ကျပ်ရုတ်တရက်ထခြင်း (Asthma Attacks)

Overview

Asthma attacks kill 3 people in the UK each day. But many of these deaths could be avoided.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a common lung condition that causes occasional breathing difficulties.

If you're on the right asthma treatment, your chance of having an attack is greatly reduced.

Visit a doctor or asthma nurse at least once a year for a check-up and to discuss your treatment.

Signs and Symptoms

Signs that you may be having an asthma attack include:

• your symptoms are getting worse (cough, breathlessness, wheezing or tight chest)
• your reliever inhaler (usually blue) is not helping
• you're too breathless to speak, eat or sleep
• your breathing is getting faster and it feels like you cannot catch your breath
• your peak flow score is lower than normal
• children may also complain of a tummy or chest ache

The symptoms will not necessarily occur suddenly. In fact, they often come on slowly over a few hours or days.

Immediate First Aid Steps

If you think you're having an asthma attack, you should:

1. Sit up straight – try to keep calm.
2. Use your reliever inhaler (usually blue):
   Take one puff of your reliever inhaler every 30 to 60 seconds up to 10 puffs.
3. Call for an ambulance if: 
4. 1. If you feel worse at any point, or you do not feel better after 10 puffs
   2. If you don't have an inhaler
5. If the ambulance has not arrived after 10 minutes and your symptoms are not improving, repeat step 2.
6. If your symptoms are no better after repeating step 2, and the ambulance has still not arrived, contact them again immediately.

If you are with someone having an asthma attack​:

• Monitor their breathing and level of response
• If they become unresponsive at any point, prepare to give Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR). This applies to everyone

Additional notes:

• Try to take the details of your medicines (or your personal asthma action plan) with you to hospital if possible.
• If your symptoms improve and you do not need to call the ambulance, get an urgent same-day appointment to see a GP or asthma nurse.

This asthma attack information is not for patients on a Maintenance and Reliever Therapy (MART) plan. 
This may include a steroid-preventer medicine and a certain type of long-acting bronchodilator medicine which can also be used as their emergency reliever. The patient will know which they should use in an emergency and may carry a written plan.

When To Seek Medical Help

Call an ambulance or seek immediate medical help (e.g. Emergency Department) if:

• the asthma attack is severe, not improving or getting worse
• this is your first asthma attack

Preventing Asthma Attacks

The following steps can help you reduce your risk of having an asthma attack:

• follow your personal asthma action plan and take all of your medicines as prescribed
• have regular asthma reviews with a GP or asthma nurse – these should be done at least once a year
• check with a GP or asthma nurse that you're using your inhaler correctly
• avoid things that trigger your symptoms whenever possible

Do not ignore your symptoms if they're getting worse or you need to use your reliever inhaler more often than usual.

Follow your action plan and make an urgent appointment to see a GP or asthma nurse if your symptoms continue to get worse.

Advice for friends and family

It's important that your friends and family know how to help in an emergency.

It can be useful to make copies of your personal asthma action plan and share it with others who may need to know what to do when you have an attack.

You could take a photo of your action plan on your phone, so you can show or send it to others easily.