Asthma:
It is a long-term condition that affects children and adults. The air passages start to enclose due to inflammation and tightening muscles around the small airways. Some symptoms include cough, wheeze, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Asthma can cause people to suffer from sleep disturbance, lack of concentration, and grogginess throughout the day.
What Causes Asthma?
If members of your family, particularly a sibling or parent, has asthma, then you will most likely develop it as well. People with hay fever or eczema are more likely to have asthma. Exposure to allergens and irritants is thought to increase the risk of asthma. Children and adults who are overweight are at a greater risk to develop asthma. Early life events that affect your lungs can also increase likeliness to develop asthma.
Asthma Attacks
An asthma attack includes trouble breathing, chest tightness, coughing, and wheezing. As air in your body travels, the airways start to shrink and you lungs start to swell on the sides while mucous created by your body starts to block your airways.
Who Is More Likely To Get Asthma?
Asthma most likely develops during childhood but doesn’t mean it cant affect anyone at any age. People prone to allergies are also more likely to inherit the condition as well. Some jobs raise your chances of developing asthma such as factories or any place you have to breath in dust or chemicals. Another contributing factor would be smoking as well as secondhand smoking. This increases the likelihood of getting asthma in your early life.
Treating Asthma
While some medications can be breathed into your lungs, some are taken in pill form. There are two types of medicine, one being quick-relief, and the other being long-term control. Quick relief usually controls asthma attack symptoms while long-term control helps reduce the amount of attacks you have but don’t help with asthma attacks themselves.
Some Facts About Asthma
- Asthma is one of the leading causes of hospitalizations among children under 15 years old.
- A leading cause in school absences.
- About 50% of kids with asthma have a decrease or disappearance in symptoms by the time they’re adults
- Big cities with vehicles, power plants, and factories affect your lungs increasing risk of asthma especially in the summer
- Correspondent to the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology, half of all people with moderate-to-severe eczema also have asthma.
Sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/default.htm
https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma
https://medlineplus.gov/asthma.html
https://www.aafa.org/asthma.aspx