Asthma is a chronic ailment (disorder) of the lungs. It causes the airways to swell (inflame) and thus, narrows the air passage causing shortness of breath, wheezing and coughing.
In patients, asthma is typically triggered by allergens like,
i. Dust
ii. Mold
iii. Pollen
iv. Tobacco smoke
v. Changes in weather
vi. Chemicals
vii. Animal Hair
viii. Stress (Emotion)
As with most disorders the severity of the symptoms depends on many factors. Most of the symptoms inhibit breathing, like shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing etc.
As far as treatment goes, there’s 2 ways to administer treatment for asthma:
Drugs to prevent attacks
- Also known as control drugs.
- Inhaled Corticosteroids (Alvesco, Asmanex etc) and Beta – agonist inhalers are the most common control drugs. A Beta- Agonist inhaler should not be inhaled by itself. It needs to be administered along with a steroid inhaler.
Relief drugs to use during an attack.
- Also known as rescue drugs
- Mainly involve bronchodilators (Proventil, Ventolin)
The symptoms and complications of asthma vary based on the severity of the attack. Some of these include:
- Inability to sleep
- Decreased ability to exercise
- Persistent coughing
- Uneasy breathing, may be even requiring assistance (ventilators)
- Functional changes in the lungs
- Death.
Take proper care to prevent an attack. Asthma is a difficult condition to live with. It restricts you from doing so many things. Don’t run out of stamina, because with proper care and treatment you can reduce the severity of the condition and begin to live a life that is normal in almost every aspect.
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