Take action to keep your asthma under control
Asthma has been reported in literature over the last two thousand years. As a medical condition, however, it was considered relatively uncommon and most people grew out of it as they passed through their teenage years. Although a small percentage of people could continue to suffer as adults, it was not considered to be a major problem. Indeed, it was often dismissed as a psychosomatic disorder. Over the last fifty years, however, the precise physical causes have been identified and better treatments devised. Curiously, there has also been an explosion in the number of people who suffer from it at all ages.
One of the standard approaches to treatment is the use of steroids such as Prednisone. Steroids can be administered orally, through inhalation or by injection and they help to reduce inflammation of the airways. For this reason, oral Prednisone is used not only for asthma, but for other lung diseases as well. There is no doubt that, when Prednisone is used on an emergency basis to relieve a serious asthma attack requiring hospital treatment, the benefits outweigh the risks. A short-term, high dosage use can quickly reduce the inflammation contributing to the breathing difficulties and prevent the symptoms from worsening. Unlike the inhaled steroids which go straight into the lungs, Prednisone is absorbed into the blood stream. In this form, it is used alongside other medications to control long-term and often difficult problems.
This so-called “short burst” treatment is highly effective. At a lower dosage, it can also be used on a daily basis to build up resistance to attacks. However, there is a balancing of benefits and disadvantages. High doses for no more than two weeks are safe. But under no circumstances should high doses be taken for longer periods of time because of the risks of side effects. If you are suffering repeated serious asthma attacks, this may suggest an allergic reaction and you should seek separate treatment. Similarly, the longer you take lower doses, the greater the risk of the side effects which include fluid retention, weight gain, increased blood pressure, and so on. As soon as your course of Prednisone has achieved the desired effect, you should move on to one of the inhaled steroids which have fewer problems.