One in three Australians suffer from poor quality sleep. New research suggests sleep deprivation is costing the Australian economy more than $5.1 billion a year in both direct and indirect costs.
Many people with asthma have sensitivities to certain drugs that can precipitate an asthma attack. If you have asthma, you need to be aware of which medications may be triggers. You do not need to avoid these medications unless you know they are asthma triggers for you. If these medications have never triggered your asthma, it is still best to take the medications with caution because a reaction can occur at any time.
1 in 2 Australians will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 85, with more than 60% of cancer patients surviving more than five years after diagnosis.According to a recent US study the hidden psychological scars caused by the diagnosis of cancer can leave scaring akin to that inflicted by war, with the impact in some cases lasting for years.What is Bronchiectasis?
Bronchiectasis is abnormal widening of the airways. This is often caused by chronic infection of the airways, most commonly caused by bacteria.
This chronic infection causes chronic inflammation of the airways.
Inflammation damages the lung and can result in bronchiectasis.
Due to the damage and widening of the lungs, mucous is not cleared from the lungs as effectively as normal – leading to a buildup of mucous.
Symptoms of Bronchiectasis
The main symptom of Bronchiectasis is a chronic cough producing mucus.
Other symptoms include:
- sinusitis/nasal inflammation and fatigue
- chest pain
- shortness of breath
- coughing up blood
An important feature of bronchiectasis is acute episodes of worsening symptoms known as exacerbations.
These exacerbations may be set off by a head cold, but often there is no clear cause.
Testing for Bronchiectasis
Your doctor may send you off for x-rays, CT scans or High Resolution CT scans. Any abnormal widening of the airways is usually visible off these scans.
Your doctor may also wish to send some of your mucus away for testing to test which bacteria is causing the infection.
It is recommended that patients have breathing tests from time to time to monitor disease progress. The frequency of testing will depend on deterioration and exacerbation rate for the individual patient.
Treatments of Bronchiectasis
One of the most important treatments for bronchiectasis is mucous clearance which can usually be effectively treated with physiotherapy.
Quite often an individual program can be created that includes:
- Physiotherapy
- Physical exercise
- Postural drainage of the chest
- Active breathing
- Huffing
- Coughing
- Other physiotherapy techniques.
Exercise
Exercise is another great treatment for bronchietasis and patients can benefit greatly from participating in a pulmonary rehabilitation program.
Medications
Medications such as inhaled bronchodilators, inhaled corticosteroids and occasionally corticosteroid tablets may be used to control asthma-like symptoms such as inflammation. Speak to your doctor about which medication is right for you.
Vaccines
Patients with bronchiectasis should have annual flu vaccines and pneumococcal vaccines every five years.
Breathwise Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Breathwise Pulmonary Rehabilitation is a multi-disciplinary program of exercise and education for people with lung disease that runs at The Wesley Hospital.
Working with an experienced team of medical specialists, physiotherapists, nursing staff, occupational therapy, clinical psychologists,and pharmacists, this program will address the primary aims of pulmonary rehabilitation, which are to reduce the disability and handicap of people with chronic lung diseases and to restore patients to the highest possible level of independent functioning.
About the Program
You will need to attend twice a week for 8 weeks. The program will start off gently and will provide you with a home exercise program so you can remain fit and healthy once you have completed your program.