Asthma occurs when the airways in the lungs (bronchial tubes) were swelling and limited ability to breathe. Muscle bronchial walls tighten, and your airways produce excess mucus that blocks your airway. Signs and symptoms of asthma vary from heavy breathing came to a life-threatening asthma attacks.
Asthma can not be cured, but symptoms can be controlled. Setting that includes avoiding asthma triggers and tracking your symptoms on. You probably will need long-term medical control to prevent it from getting worse, and taking a short-term emergency treatment to control symptoms at first.
Uncontrolled asthma can cause you often do not fit in work and school, or lower productivity. Because asthma may change from time to time, you will need the cooperation of the physician to control and adjust your asthma treatment is needed.
Symptoms
Asthma has signs and symptoms ranging from mild to severe, and vary in each person. You might have asthma symptoms like heavy breathing regularly, with sometimes having an asthma attack. In between bouts of asthma you may feel normal and have no respiratory problems. Or, you may have signs and symptoms such as coughing and heavy breathing all the time or have the primary symptoms at night, or only during exercise.
Signs and symptoms of asthma include:
• Shortness of breath
• Tightening the chest muscles or chest pain
• Difficulty sleeping because of shortness of breath, cough or nasal airway
• nasal or whistling sound when breathing
• Cough or nasal breathing worsened when attacked by a virus, such as colds and flu
Signs that you may worsen asthma include:
• The increase in the severity and frequency of signs and symptoms of asthma
• The fall in the average maximum flow of breath as measured by peak flow meter, a simple device that is used to check how well your lungs work
• Increased need to use bronchodilators - treatment that opens the airway by resting the respiratory muscles
Work closely with your doctor to decide when you need additional medication or take other measures to treat asthma symptoms worse and makes your asthma can be controlled again. If you still worsen asthma, you may need emergency care unit. Your doctor can help teach you to recognize the signs and symptoms of an emergency so you will know when it needs help.
Causes & Risk Factors
Causes
It is not clear how a person has asthma and others do not, but this may be due to a combination of environmental and genetic factors (heredity).
Triggers of asthma is different for each person. Exposed to various allergens and irritants can trigger signs and symptoms of asthma include:
• airborne allergens, such as pollen, animal dander, mold and dust
• respiratory tract infections, such as colds
• Physical activity (exercise that forces the incidence of asthma)
• The cold
• Air pollution and irritants, such as cigarette smoke
• Certain drugs, including beta blockers, aspirin, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs other
• Emotions are high and stress
• Sulfites, preservatives added to some foods that are not durable
• Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a condition in which stomach acid up into the throat
• The menstrual cycle in women
• Allergic reactions to foods such as peanuts and shellfish
Risk factors
Asthma is a common disease, affects millions of adults and children. Those who are diagnosed with asthma continues to grow every year. But it is not clear what the cause is. Some factors that may increase the risk of asthma include:
• Family history of asthma
• Frequent respiratory infections as a child
• Exposure to secondhand smoke
• Living in an urban environment, particularly if there is air pollution
• Exposure to triggers at work, such as the use of chemicals in agriculture, working as a hairdresser or work in a factory
• Low weight at birth
• Overweight
Prevention
With physician trust, you can work together to design planning steps with your condition and prevent asthma attacks.
• Develop a written plan. Together with your doctor, write a detailed plan of taking up medical care and how to manage during an asthma attack. Then be sure to follow the plan. Asthma is a condition that requires regular attention and maintenance. Organize care of yourself can make you feel more able to manage your life in general.
• Identify and avoid asthma triggers. Some outdoor allergens and irritants - from pollen to mold into the cold air and air pollution - can trigger an asthma attack. Find out what your cause or exacerbate asthma, and take steps to avoid those triggers.
• Observe your breath. You can learn to recognize the signs of impending attack, such as a mild cough, nasal breathing and shortness of breath. But because your lung function decline before you recognize the signs or symptoms, consult your breathing regularly use a peak flow meter at home.
• Identification and care of an asthma attack early. If you act quickly, you will be less likely to develop severe asthma. You also do not need a lot of medication to control your asthma symptoms. When the average maximum decrease your breathing and you will be warned that an attack is coming, take your medication as directed and immediately stop your activities that may trigger an attack. If there is no improvement of symptoms, take medical help as directed plans have been made.
• Do not stop your treatment program. Just because asthma seems to be fixed, do not change anything without talking with your doctor. Good idea to take your medication at each visit to your doctor, so the doctor can do a double against the drugs you use and take the correct dosage.