Introduction
You have heard of Asthma, maybe your friend or family has asthma, but exactly is asthma?
Asthma is a long term condition that affects the airways of your lung. There are airway tubes in your body that carry the air that you breathe in. When you have asthma, these tubes will have a harder time bringing in air as they will narrow and become inflamed. Asthma triggers such as Pollen, cold air, injections and more can worsen asthma. When these symptoms worsen it can be severe and the pipe can experience asthma attacks.
The body has a natural defense system that fights infections that can make us sick. It can also react to things like pollen or mold when breathed in. Some people react strongly to this, and create inflammation. The airways become sensitive, narrow or too sensitive when you try to take a breath in. This is typically because when airways narrow it creates more mucus. It can also cause the muscles around the airway to tighten.
Symptoms
Their can be many variety of symptoms of Asthma
Wheezing (makes whistling sound when you breath out)
Coughing (at night or early morning)
Shortness of Breath
Chest tightness
Causes of Asthma
Asthma typically starts in childhood, however it typically is not noticeable until adulthood, when adults develop asthma. There can be many factors that cause one to develop Asthma such as viral infections, family history and environment. Even with this there are other factors that can significantly increase risk of having asthma.
Obesity- increases the risk of developing risk
Race/Ethnicity - Puerto Rican and African Americans have higher risk of developing asthma
Sex- It's more common to have males with asthma as children. As for adults it's more common with females
Children with Asthma.
Asthma typically starts when a person is in their childhood. There are many risk factors that can increase the risk of developing asthma, such as exposure to smoke, family history or allergies, obesity, and more.
However when finding asthma in children, the symptoms can be different compared to adults. Asthma symptoms vary from child to child, sometimes it can get better over time or be worse.
Coughing in sleep and waking up often
Get tired easily
Avoid energetic activities
Coughing worsens in cold weather
Asthma can cause many complications for children facing it, such as permanent decline in lung function, poor sleep, missed school, and more.
Diagnosis
When one suspects they have asthma, it's important to talk to a healthcare provider. They will want to conduct a test to diagnose whether you have asthma. Here are some of the lung function tests used
Bronchodilator Responsiveness tests – How more efficient one's breathing is after inhaling a medicine called fast-acting bronchodilator. This medicine helps to relax the muscles in your airway.
Spirometry - How quickly one breathes out and how fast
Peak expiratory Flow (PEF)- How fast one can blow air out using maximum effort
These are not the only tests that can be run, healthcare providers can also be used such as chest CT scan, allergy tests, FeNO and more.
Treatment
Asthma can be treated in a variety of ways to control and prevent symptoms. There are two types of medications that can be used: Quick Relief and Long-term control medication.
Quick Relief Medicines can be used to ease symptoms & prevent symptoms, this can be used in an asthma attack. It’s also ideal for people with mild asthma .
(SABAs)- open airways so air can flow better
Oral Corticosteroids - Reduce swelling in airways to help breath better
Short- Acting anticholinergics - Open airway fasters, its an alternate for SABAs
Long Term Control Medicines are typically used to prevent/control daily asthma attacks
Biologic Medicines - Medicines that are injected into veins or below the skin. Can help with asthma that is difficult to control.
Corticosteroids- Can help reduce inflammation in the body via as a pill or inhaled.
Leukotriene Modifiers- Rescue swelling and keep airways open for optimal breathing.
Asthma inhalers are typically thought of when thinking of asthma, but what exactly are inhalers? They are hand-held devices that help to deliver medicine into lungs.
Different types of Asthma
Some people can asthma symptoms only with specific institutions and triggers
Allergic Asthma - Breathing problems around allergens such as pollens, dust mites and mold
Occupational Asthma - Happens in the workplace, when they are around allergens such as dust and mold.
Nocturnal Asthma - This is when asthma symptoms occur at night
Exercise- Induced Asthma – Asthma symptoms worsen when doing physical activities
Conclusion
To summarize, it is a long term condition that affects the airway in the lungs, making breathing difficult due to inflammation and narrowing. Common symptoms include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and more. Asthma typically starts in childhood, and can be influenced by factors such as family history and environment. There can be higher risks when it comes to specific racial groups and sexes. There can be diagnosis for asthma, and different treatment options to prevent/control asthma.
Source
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/323531 Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board