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| Asthma (Photo credit: liliazdad) |
Asthma
is a condition that affects the small tubes which carry air in and
out of the lungs, an irritant usually triggers an asthma attack and
irritants can vary from person to person. During an attack the
muscles around the airways become increasingly narrower and the
lining swells, sticky mucus can also build up in the airways which
cause further narrowing and the problems associated with asthma,
namely a difficulty in breathing.
There
are a variety of reasons why people develop asthma, but there are
certain factors that can cause it such as :
- If you have a family history of asthma or allergies
- Environmental factors such as changes in hot and cold
- Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of your child developing asthma
- If you smoke then you are more likely to develop asthma
- Allergies to pets
- The onset of asthma can develop after a viral infection
- Irritants found within the workplace
The
most common signs and symptoms of asthma vary from person to person
in severity with some people experiencing some of the symptoms all
the time to some extent, while others only from time to time, they
include:
- Coughing uncontrollably
- Developing a wheeze due to the restriction of the airways
- A shortness of breath
- A tight feeling around the chest
Asthma
cannot be cured but it can be treated and kept under control very
successfully, there are many types of medication that can help you to
successfully keep your asthma under control. Medications are divided
into different categories which depending on the severity of your
asthma you might have to use a combination of them. Categories
include
- Inhalers that prevent asthma
- Inhalers that relieve asthma
- Steroid tablets
- Spacers
- Nebulisers
A
preventer will do exactly as the name suggests help to prevent
attacks of asthma, it is important to use them everyday as
prescribed, even if you are feeling well. They don’t help to
relieve the feelings of an asthma attack such as breathlessness or
tightness of the chest and most usually contain a very low dose of
steroid.
Everyone
who has asthma will have been prescribed a reliever; the reliever is
designed to quickly ease the symptoms of asthma during an attack. The
medication in the reliever will help to open the airways again making
breathing much easier, it is important that if you have been
prescribed an inhaler then you always make sure you have it near you.
If
you have an infection and suffer from asthma then your Doctor may
give you a short course of steroid treatment along with a course of
antibiotics while you overcome the infection. A very few of those
suffering from asthma do occasionally need to take steroids long
term.
Spacers
and Nebulisers are two ways that help you take your reliever
medication more easily; spacers are usually given to children with
asthma while Nebulisers allows you to continually inhale medication
through a mask and is helpful during a particularly bad attack of
asthma.
