Asthma is a respiratory condition in which the airways of the lungs (breathing passages) narrow and swell, often in response to an allergen.
This disease affects people of all ages, but usually starts in childhood.
Air in the lungs travel through small airways called bronchial tubes. When the airways are clear, air moves in and out of the lungs easily. An asthma attack constricts the airways and interferes with the normal breathing process.
Signs and symptoms
The common signs and symptoms of asthma include:
As people experience asthma attacks they learn to recognize specific triggers that contribute to these attacks and try to stay away from them. There are individual triggers for each person. Children exposed to certain triggers become highly sensitive which causes the lungs and airways to swell up and produce mucus. Some of the triggers include the common cold, weather changes, physical activity, and air pollutants such as smoke, dust mites, animal dander, and pollen.
Diagnosis
Treatment
You must know as much as you can about asthma, its triggers, and how to recognize and avoid them. Avoiding the triggers and with the right medication, an asthmatic can have a perfectly normal life.
Treatment of asthma includes prevention of symptoms and treatment of progressive asthma attacks.
Your allergist may also prescribe two main types of medications, long- term control medications and quick- relief medications.
Inhaled short- and long-term control medications are used by inhaling measured amounts of the medication through inhalation devices.
By visiting an allergist you can take control of your asthma and improve your quality of life.