brittle

Can mild asthma become brittle asthma or are they two different types like diabetes I and II?

I don't have the wheezing bu I do have the cough. Cough-variant I believe its called.

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brittle has two types i cant rmrmber which way round but i think 1 is were your asthma takes a gud hold of you life and you need as much help as you because you get out of breath very easy type 2 is what ive got is were you can look and feel fine but out of the blue your asthma can excelerate out of control in matter of secounds which has happened to me alot and ive ended up in itu and yes asthma can turn brittle i was 17 when i got told i had asthma and only started off on 2 inhalers and over the years it has turned brittle and im on max does of asthma treatment that i can be given someone will correct me if i got it wrong way round its just what my asthma con has told me about the 2 different types of brittle asthma hope that helps a little take care grannymo xxxxxx

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Hey GrannyMo,

From what I’ve heard (please correct me if I'm talking rubbish) It has been suggested by some doctors and researchers that asthma and brittle or difficult to control asthma are two different conditions. However I think there is more research needed into this concept before it becomes fact.

I used to be a well controlled asthmatic on just a brown inhaler and a blue reliever inhaler, however two years ago I had an asthma attack completely out of the blue (never had one before) and was hospitalised in HDU. However do not worry as I believe this is very uncommon. About a year ago it was confirmed that I'm a brittle asthmatic, and slowly I have gained more control of my asthma symptoms on a day to day basis, by taking (what feels) like a mountain of drugs, but despite this I still end up in hospital having attacks (for instance I've been out of hospital for about 3 hours and often end up in between every 8-15weeks).

Brittle asthma can only be diagnosed officially by respiratory consultants, and as Kerry-Anne said there are two types of brittle asthma. You can't be a mild brittle asthmatic, which I think is what your question was getting at, for instance be on just brown inhaler and be classed as brittle. Most brittle asthmatics are on or have tried every treatment going for asthma and normally on drugs that aren’t normally prescribed for asthmatics. However you could say there are varying severities of brittle asthma. Although I am brittle asthmatic and take a lot of medication for this, there are brittle asthmatics (on here) that have much more server asthma than me.

I hope some of that makes sense :S

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask

ally

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A lot of doctors say people are brittle when they arent really so please be careful with the terminalogy. When i was young i was told i was brittle because i can be well for weeks and then out of the blue have an attack and be energyless for days or sometimes i can have an attack and be in hopsital for a good week or so. It is like recently i was well for a good 2 months, then sunday afternoon started to feel unwell and need more reliver and the last few days i have been really energyless but that is how my asthma goes.

I also have a permenant cough!

But remeber you could just have asthma that has not yet been brought under control. Hope that is some what helpful if not sorry head like cotton wool!

[yaf_user681_30003]

GrannyMo

Mild asthma can develop into other stages over time.

The definitions of the 2 types of Brittle Asthma are set out in the British Thoracic Society ""British Guideline on the Management of Asthma"". To be precise, in ""Table 10: Levels of severity of acute asthma exacerbations"".

They are:-

""Type 1: wide PEF variability (>40% diurnal variation for >50% of the time over a period >150 days) despite intense therapy

- Type 2: sudden severe attacks on a background of apparently well controlled asthma.""

From that, It is pretty clear that it takes quite some time to evaluate and that you need the a specialist to diagnose and confirm as such. If you read the whole thing, it makes all the stages and definitions clear, even if they get a bit bogged down in technical talk at times. If you do read the whole thing, I am sure you will then understand how the term is often used without full consideration, sometimes almost as a throw away, and which can cause unnecessary concerns.

To read the whole thing follow:-

brit-thoracic.org.uk/Clinic...

The table is in Section 6.2

Alan

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I agree with both plumie and kerry-anne, brittle asthma can only really be diagnosed by a repiratory consultant. I started out on 2 inhalers, which then became 3, and after a marathon of trying so many different medicines, I'm now on my present protocal and have been doing a lot better. But I can go from being fine and happy one minuite to the back of an ambulance being rushed in the next, so it really is like a knife edge at times.

However, I feel mine may have deteriorated as a direct result from a couple of doses of pnuemonia, one which was very mild and I recovered well with minimal problems, the other landing me in hospital, and resus.

I hope this helps

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Thanks for the answers, peoples.

I know someone who has asthma but I only see them once in a blue moon. Occasionally over a number of years, there has been an ambulance at their door and ages back I can remember mention of a home nebuliser, although at the time that meant nothing to me. Way back then (and indeed up till February this year,) under the impression that an ambulance at the door of an older person meant a heart attack. (Older person? They'd be around the age I am now. LOL)

Probably what is giving me a trembly moment, is one of my friends telling me this lady was diagnosed with asthma following bout of bronchitis about twenty years ago i.e. same as me this year. She does take a slow walk to the shops. Still has a cheery smile. No longer goes on holiday though and I suppose I'm just worried that my mild 2 puffs of brown reliever twice a day could increase a lot.

None of my own friends have ever had asthma so this really is a learning curve. Some of my anxieties are probably complete piffle. No doubt you will tell me.

GM