Status Asthmaticus - An Asthma Attack You Can't Ignore

For most people, asthma is a bothersome condition that requires the use of an inhaler or other medication. For the general public, it is often considered a minor illness, certainly not one which is life threatening. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and this misconception is one which is potentially dangerous. Each year in the United States, over 500,000 people are hospitalized for severe asthma attacks, otherwise known as Status Asthmaticus. This condition, in about four percent of cases, requires hospitalization in an intensive care unit, and of those cases, up to thirty percent require mechanical ventilation to be able to breath. In short, this condition is serious, and potentially a killer.

While most asthmatics experience wheezing, shortness of breath, and other related symptoms, the status asthmaticus sufferer experiences much more severe respiratory problems. In the most severe cases, the patient may be unable to speak in full sentences. The patient may speak in short phrases, trying to conserve energy for the difficult task of breathing. The patient may also become cyanotic (lips, nail-beds and finger-tips take on a bluish color) due to a lack of circulating oxygen caused by severely narrowed airways. In status asthmaticus, the narrowing of the airways is so severe that conventional treatments are ineffective. This narrowing of the airways, will affect the functioning of someone with asthma. This lack of circulating oxygen can eventually cause respiratory failure, central nervous system damage, and if left untreated, death. Certainly, this is not a "minor illness" as is often the public perception.

An attack of status asthmaticus requires hospitalization and urgent treatment. Over a period of hours, bronchial spasms become more severe and the bronchi become plugged with mucus. As airflow becomes more obstructed, the amount of arterial oxygen is reduced and the victim begins to become drowsy. Acidity levels in the blood rise, as a result of the increased carbon dioxide, and as the acidity increases, the risk of cardiac arrest also increases. Usually the person is in the hospital by this time, and the risk is decreased, however, in some cases death results. Deaths from status asthmaticus are rapid. So rapid, in fact that the complete sequence of events in an asthma attack do not have time to occur.

Status asthmaticus, as you have seen is a severe medical condition which needs immediate medical attention. For more information on this condition, check out the following sites: Asthma Management, Magnesium Makes a Difference and

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