Asthma (pronounced AZ-muh) is defined in Essential Allergy, by Niels Mygind, Ronald Dahl, Soren Pedersen and Kristian Thestrup-Pedersen 2nd edition as: A lung disease characterised by: 1. variable and reversible airway obstruction; 2. airway inflammation; and 3. bronchial hyper-responsiveness. Asthma is a continuing inflaming illness that makes airways (bronchial tubes) especially sensitive to irritants, and this is characterized by problems in breathing. Asthma is a greatly ranked inveterate health state in adults in most western countries, and it is the foremost chronic disorder of children. Asthma cannot be cured, but for most patients it can be controlled so that they have just minimum and infrequent symptoms and they can live an normal life. If you have asthma, managing it is an significant part of your life. Managing your asthma means keeping away from things that irritate your airways and taking medicines as directed by your physician. By controlling your asthma every day, you can avoid serious symptoms and take part in all regular activities. If your asthma is not well managed, you are liable to have symptoms that can make you skip school or work and retain you from doing things you like. Individuals with asthma have additional tender or hyper-responsive airways. When a person experiences a worsening of their asthma symptoms, it is called an asthma episode or, in hard cases, an asthma attack. During an asthma attack, smooth muscles nearly the bronchial tubes contract, making the airway openings narrow so less air can stream through. Infection increases and the airways become more expanded and narrowed. Cells in the airways also make more mucus than common, which narrows the airways more. The changes to the airways cause the symptoms of asthma. For example, it is difficult for air to pass in and out of the lungs and the oxygen levels in the blood reduce. Asthma attacks are not all the same-some are worse than others. In a severe asthma attack, the airways can close so much that not sufficient oxygen gets to essential organs. This condition is a medical emergency. People can die from severe asthma attacks. A person suffering from an asthma attack has a feeling comparable to drowning. If you have asthma, you should see your doctor regularly. You will need to discover what things occasion your asthma symptoms to worsen and how to avoid them. Your doctor can also prescribe medicines to hold your asthma under control. This narrowing of the air passages is due to several combinations of: * contraction of muscles around the air passages, * distension of the airway lining due to airway infection, and, * extreme mucus in the airways. About one in 13 adults and one in 8 children have asthma in the western world, and rates are on the grow. It can affect anyone, at any age, anywhere. Asthma is becoming increasingly frequent in the developed world and is now the most usual chronic condition in the west. Aspects of our contemporary environment such as air pollution, processed foods, and centrally heated, double-glazed houses (an ideal breeding grounds for house dust mites) are thought to be principal contributing factors. An asthma 'attack' describes the symptoms of tightness in the chest, a wheezing or whistling noise in the chest, coughing, breathlessness, and difficulty breathing that arise when the airways become narrowed, inflamed, and blocked by mucus. An asthma attack can occur suddenly. However, many people with asthma learn to recognise the warning signs that herald an attack, such as an itchy nose or itchy skin, dizziness or light-headedness, or an irritating cough. Learning the warning signs can often alert a sufferer in time to take preventive action, such as medication. Asthma is a chronic condition, which means that attacks can occur over a long period of time. Although there are times when acute episodes strike asthmatics, most asthma sufferers say that there are long periods during which they suffer few, if any asthma symptoms. Asthma changes progressively during the lifetime of someone who has it. For example, children may grow out of asthma, but some of these people develop asthma again later in life. Drugs, such as those resembling two of our hormones, help asthma. These two hormones are adrenaline (epinephrine in the USA) and hydrocortisone (a steroid). There are also other drugs which help treat asthma. Whilst drugs can remove all your symptoms if you have mild asthma, people with more severe or long-standing asthma don't get nearly such good results, so alternate medications are required. In people who have lifelong asthma, the effectiveness of drugs in removing the obstruction of the airways decreases. One of the aims of treatment, according to current concepts, is to minimise the inflammation in the lung airways which we believe causes this long-term decline. At a Glance...What is Asthma? * Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder that makes airways (bronchial tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants, and this is characterized by difficulty in breathing. * Asthma is a greatly ranked chronic health condition in adults in most western countries, and it is the most important chronic illness of children. * Asthma cannot be cured, but for most patients it can be controlled so that they have only minimal and infrequent symptoms and they can live an active life. * If you have asthma, managing it is an significant part of your life. Controlling your asthma means keeping away from things that bother your airways and taking drugs as directed by your physician. By Bjorn Gutter
