What is Asthma and How to Deal With It?

Asthma is a lung disease. It creates breathing difficulties as a result of narrowed airways.

Asthma affects different people in different ways. The impact may be a stand alone or a combination of coughing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing (whistling sound during breathing). Coughing is usually increased during the night and early in the morning.

Asthma affects a person's airways (bronchial tubes) that carry air into and out of lungs. During normal breathing cycle, air is taken in through the nose or mouth goes into the windpipe (trachea) to the bronchial tubes, into the lungs, and returns out. When the airways are inflamed (swell and produce thick mucus), they become overly sensitive to certain things, like dust mites, pollen, strong smells, weather conditions, cigarette smoke or exercise. The hyperactivity tightens the surrounding muscle resulting in narrowing of airways making the air to move with difficulty. Sometimes phlegm or sticky mucus builds up further narrowing the airways resulting in even more breathing difficulties. This repetitive difficulty in breathing is asthma.

It can be mild or sever. It normally occurs when a person comes across an asthma trigger (substances like dust, cigarette smoke etc. that irritate airways). Asthma instances can be periodic. Some people have only seasonal bouts of Asthma. Others get affected only after exercise or after exposure to other triggers mentioned above. For many people with chronic form asthma, attacks are frequent and almost daily.

It can flare up at any time as long as the air passages remain inflamed. Therefore it is important to remain vigilant of the triggers that flare up Asthma.

In most cases asthma attacks are mild, last for minutes and respond well to normal medication. But sever asthma attacks particularly those which do not respond to medication for long hours can be life threatening. Immediate medical attention is requires in such cases.

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What is Asthma and How to Deal With It?

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