Case Reports
Another Reason Not to Smoke: Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia
Acute eosinophilic pneumonia is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening cause of respiratory failure if left untreated.
The second category is quick-relief medicines, used as needed for symptom relief during an asthma attack or before physical exercise:
- Short-acting beta agonists can be taken using a portable, handheld inhaler or a nebulizer (a machine that converts medicines to a fine mist).
- Ipratropium (ip-ruh-troh-pee-um) can be used to immediately relax the airways.
- Oral and IV corticosteroids relieve airway inflammation caused by severe asthma.
The third category is allergy medications, prescribed if your symptoms are triggered or made worse by allergies (most people with asthma have allergies):
- Allergy shots (immunotherapy) gradually reduce your immune system’s reaction to allergens.
- Omalizumab (oh-ma-liz-you-mab) is an injection that alters your immune system.
- Allergy medications include oral and nasal spray antihistamines (an-tie-his-tuh-meens) and decongestants (dee-cun-jes-tunts) as well as corticosteroid and cromolyn nasal sprays.
You should also work with your doctor to create an asthma action plan, which describes your daily treatments, the medicines to take, when to take them, and when you need to call your doctor or visit the emergency department.
It is important to track how well your asthma is controlled and to share this information with your doctor during regular asthma checkups. For more information on creating an asthma action plan, visit http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/asthma/asthma_actplan.pdf.
