Eosinophilic Asthma: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatment

What Is Eosinophilic Asthma?

From the name eosinophilic asthma, it is the same as typical asthma. However, these two medical diseases are not the same. You may have trouble breathing in both conditions. But your doctor will suggest a complete blood test for eosinophilic asthma. Your test will check for eosinophil cell count. If your eosinophil cells increase, this may indicate eosinophilic asthma. If you are in your mid-twenties or mid-thirties, you may be affected by eosinophilic asthma. If there is a child or an old person at your home, they may be affected by eosinophilic asthma. Whether the child or older person is a man or a woman, eosinophilic asthma can affect anyone.

How’s Eosinophilic Asthma Different from Regular Asthma?

There are a lot of differences between eosinophilic asthma and regular asthma. The common differences are as follows:

Regular Asthma: Regular asthma is when your airway channels get affected and constricted. You may have trouble breathing. The cause may be any allergens. It can be dust, smoke, pollution, pollen, and molds. Usually, people between the ages of 20 to 30 are commonly affected. It even affects children and older people. You may have coughing and chest tightness. You may get free from regular asthma by visiting your doctor. They will give you medicines and free you from asthma symptoms.

Eosinophilic Asthma: You may have trouble catching your breath during eosinophilic asthma. Not only are the lungs involved, but the whole respiratory system is involved in this type of asthma. It will get swollen. The cause of this type of asthma is not allergens. Young children are not affected by this. The strangest thing is that eosinophilic asthma does not get cured with medicines.

What Are the Causes of Eosinophilic Asthma?

No proven study shows the causes behind the occurrence of eosinophilic asthma. The reasons behind regular asthma are dust, pollen, smoke, and molds. However, allergens are not the causative factor of eosinophilic asthma. However, during eosinophilic asthma, the eosinophilic cells in your blood will increase and become activated. If you or any of your family members have eosinophilic asthma, it may affect your future children, too. However, researchers are still finding the reasons behind the occurrence of eosinophilic asthma.

What Are the Symptoms of Eosinophilic Asthma?

Several symptoms distinguish between eosinophilic asthma and regular asthma.

The signs and symptoms of eosinophilic asthma are as follows:

• Shortness of breath.

• Chest tightness.

• Coughing and wheezing.

• With lungs, eosinophilic asthma can affect the nose, too. You might have flu-like symptoms and have something inside your nose. You may feel like you have a runny nose.

• Nasal polyps.

• You may have a sinus infection.

What Is the Diagnosis of Eosinophilic Asthma?

If you want to get free from eosinophilic asthma, early diagnosis is very important.

The diagnostic tests for eosinophilic asthma are as follows:

• Medical History: Your doctor will first ask about your family history and look for symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath, wheezing, and chest tightness.

• Physical Examination: Your doctor will physically examine you and check for sinus infections and nasal polyps.

• Blood Tests: Your doctor will perform blood tests to check for the levels of eosinophils. Because an increase in eosinophils can lead to the development of the condition.

What Is the Treatment for Eosinophilic Asthma?

Several different types of asthma need different treatment approaches. Asthma can be managed through medications, dietary recommendations, and exercise. For people dealing with eosinophilic asthma, inhaled corticosteroids are a good choice of medicine. It reduces airway inflammation. But that's not all—there are a few other options that can manage your eosinophilic asthma:

• Leukotriene blockers and biologics are the new medicines that can reduce inflammation.

• If you suffer from a sinus infection and have asthma, it can be treated with medicines. Your doctor might give you antibiotics to fight infections and tell you to take them with your asthma medicines.

• Additionally, your doctor can give you bronchodilators like inhalers. This will free you from your asthma symptoms.

• During serious asthma attacks, your doctor might prescribe oral corticosteroids. These medicines, if taken in excess, can harm your body. It should be taken under the guidance of your doctor.

• A procedure called bronchial thermoplasty is available for very serious cases. It clears the airways and relieves asthma symptoms.

• Listen up and contact your doctor so that they can develop an asthma plan and prescribe medications accordingly.

How Does Eosinophilic Asthma Affect Quality of Life?

Eosinophilic asthma can affect your life as well as your daily activities.

The ways eosinophilic asthma affects your quality of life are as follows:

1. The number of people visiting the hospital will be higher.

2. If you have already been admitted to the hospital, you might have to bring more clothes for a few more days.

3. If you forget to engage in physical activities, the condition will aggravate.

4. You may have uncontrolled asthma that may lead to death.

Conclusion

Eosinophilic asthma can affect your whole respiratory system. You will need oral corticosteroids to get free from eosinophilic asthma. Other medicines, like biologics, can also work. If you do not take these medicines, it will affect your daily life activities, and it could even lead to death. So, it is better to see your doctor and seek early guidance.

Key Takeaway/Note from Icliniq

Eosinophilic asthma is nothing but a severe form of regular asthma. Even inhalers don’t work. Oral corticosteroids and biologics will work for this. The doctors at icliniq.com will advise you on how to manage eosinophilic asthma.