Asthma
Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes (airways) that causes swelling and narrowing (constriction) of the airways. The result is difficulty breathing. The bronchial narrowing is usually either totally or at least partially reversible with treatments.
Asthma affects people differently. Each individual is unique in their degree of reactivity to environmental triggers. This naturally influences the type and dose of medication prescribed, which may vary from one individual to another.
[edit] Myths, facts, and statistics about asthma
Before we present the typical symptoms of asthma, we should dispel some common myths about this condition.
1. T or F - Asthma is "all in the mind."
2. T or F - You will "grow out of it."
3. T or F - Asthma can be cured, so it is not serious and nobody dies from it.
4. T or F - You are likely to develop asthma if someone in your family has it.
5. T or F - You can "catch" asthma from someone else who has it.
6. T or F - Moving to a different location, such as the desert, can cure asthma.
7. T or F - People with asthma should not exercise.
8. T or F - Asthma does not require medical treatment.
9. T or F - Medications used to treat asthma are habit-forming.
10. T or F - Someone with asthma can provoke episodes anytime they want in order to get attention.
Here are the answers:
1. F - Asthma is not a psychological condition. However, emotional triggers can cause flare-ups.
2. F - You cannot outgrow asthma. In about 50% of children with asthma, the condition may become inactive in the teenage years. The symptoms, however, may reoccur anytime in adulthood.
3. F - There is no cure for asthma, but the disease can be controlled in most patients with good medical care. The condition should be taken seriously, since uncontrolled asthma may result in emergency hospitalization and possible death.
4. T - You have a 6% chance of having asthma if neither parent has the condition, a 30% chance if one parent has it, and a 70% chance if both parents have it.
5. F - Asthma is not contagious.
6. F - A new environment may temporarily improve asthma symptoms, but it will not cure asthma. After a few years in the new location, many people become sensitized to the new environment and the asthma symptoms return with the same or even greater intensity than before.
7. F - Swimming is an optimal exercise for those with asthma. On the other hand, exercising in dry, cold air may be a trigger for asthma in some people.
8. F - Asthma is best controlled by having an asthma management plan designed by your doctor that includes the medications used for quick relief and those used as controllers.
9. F - Asthma medications are not addictive.
10. F - Asthma attacks cannot be faked. In rare cases, there is a psychological condition known by a variety of names (factious asthma, spastic dysphonia, globus hystericus) where emotional issues may cause symptoms that mimic the symptoms of asthma.
[edit] Typical symptoms and signs of asthma
The symptoms of asthma vary from person to person and in any individual from time to time. It is important to remember that many of these symptoms can be subtle and similar to those seen in other conditions. All of the symptoms mentioned below can be present in other respiratory, and sometimes, in heart conditions. This potential confusion makes identifying the settings in which the symptoms occur and diagnostic testing very important in recognizing this disorder.
The following are the four major recognized asthma symptoms:
1. Shortness of breath, especially with exertion or at night
2. Wheezing is a whistling or hissing sound when breathing out
3. Coughing may be chronic, is usually worse at night and early morning, and may occur after exercise or when exposed to cold, dry air
4. Chest tightness may occur with or without the above symptoms
Asthma fact
Asthma is classified according to the frequency and severity of symptoms, or "attacks," and the results of pulmonary (lung) function tests.
- 30% of affected patients have mild, intermittent (less than two episodes a week) symptoms of asthma with normal breathing tests
- 30% have mild, persistent (two or mores episodes a week) symptoms of asthma with normal or abnormal breathing tests
- 40% have moderate or severe, persistent (daily or continuous) symptoms of asthma with abnormal breathing tests
