ASTHMA(Part 1)

 


Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways to the lungs. It makes breathing difficult and can make some physical activities challenging or even impossible.

To understand asthma, it’s necessary to understand a little about what happens when you breathe.

Normally, with every breath you take, air goes through your nose or mouth and down into your throat and into your airways, eventually making it to your lungs.

There are lots of small air passages in your lungs that help deliver oxygen from the air into your bloodstream.

Asthma symptoms occur when the lining of your airways swell and the muscles around them tighten. Mucus then fills the airways, further reducing the amount of air that can pass through.

These conditions can then bring on an asthma “attack,” the coughing and tightness in your chest that’s typical of asthma.

The most common symptom of asthma is wheezing, a squealing or whistling sound made when you breathe.

Other asthma symptoms may include:

  • coughing, especially at night, when laughing, or during exercise
  • tightness in the chest
  • shortness of breath
  • difficulty talking
  • anxiousness or panic
  • fatigue

The type of asthma that you have can determine which symptoms you experience.

Not everyone with asthma will experience these particular symptoms. If you think the symptoms you’re experiencing could be a sign of a condition such as asthma, make an appointment to see your doctor.

The first indication that you have asthma may not be an actual asthma attack.


There are many different types of asthma. The most common type is bronchial asthma, which affects the bronchi in the lungs.

Additional forms of asthma include childhood asthma and adult-onset asthma. In adult-onset asthma, symptoms don’t appear until at least age 20.

Other specific types of asthma are described below.

Allergic asthma (extrinsic asthma)

Allergens trigger this common type of asthma. These might include:

  • pet dander from animals like cats and dogs
  • food
  • mold
  • pollen
  • dust

Allergic asthma is often seasonal because it often goes hand-in-hand with seasonal allergies.

Nonallergic asthma (intrinsic asthma)

Irritants in the air not related to allergies trigger this type of asthma. These irritants might include:

  • burning wood
  • cigarette smoke
  • cold air
  • air pollution
  • viral illnesses
  • air fresheners
  • household cleaning products
  • perfumes

Occupational asthma

Occupational asthma is a type of asthma induced by triggers in the workplace. These include:

  • dust
  • dyes
  • gases and fumes
  • industrial chemicals
  • animal proteins
  • rubber latex

These irritants can exist in a wide range of industries, including:

  • farming
  • textiles
  • woodworking
  • manufacturing

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB)

Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) usually affects people within a few minutes of starting exercise and up to 10–15 minutes after physical activity.

This condition was previously known as exercise-induced asthma (EIA).

Up to 90 percent of people with asthma also experience EIB, but not everyone with EIB will have other types of asthma.

Aspirin-induced asthma

Aspirin-induced asthma (AIA), also called aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), is usually severe.

It’s triggered by taking aspirin or another NSAID (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug), such as naproxen (Aleve) or ibuprofen (Advil).

The symptoms may begin within minutes or hours. These patients also typically have nasal polyps.

About 9 percent of people with asthma have AIA. It usually develops suddenly in adults between the ages of 20 and 50.

Nocturnal asthma

In this type of asthma, symptoms worsen at night.

Triggers that are thought to bring on symptoms at night include:

  • heartburn
  • pet dander
  • dust mites

The body’s natural sleep cycle may also trigger nocturnal asthma.

Cough-variant asthma (CVA)

Cough-variant asthma (CVA) doesn’t have classic asthma symptoms of wheezing and shortness of breath. It’s characterized by a persistent, dry cough.

If it’s not treated, CVA can lead to full-blown asthma flares that include the other more common symptoms.

There’s no single test or exam that will determine if you or your child has asthma. Instead, your doctor will use a variety of criteria to determine if the symptoms are the result of asthma.

The following can help diagnose asthma:

  • Health history. If you have family members with the breathing disorder, your risk is higher. Alert your doctor to this genetic connection.
  • Physical exam. Your doctor will listen to your breathing with a stethoscope. You may also be given a skin test to look for signs of an allergic reaction, such as hives or eczema. Allergies increase your risk for asthma.
  • Breathing tests. Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) measure airflow into and out of your lungs. For the most common test, spirometry, you blow into a device that measures the speed of the air.

Doctors don’t typically perform breathing tests in children under 5 years of age because it’s difficult to get an accurate reading.

Instead, they may prescribe asthma medications to your child and wait to see if symptoms improve. If they do, your child likely has asthma.

For adults, your doctor may prescribe a bronchodilator or other asthma medication if test results indicate asthma.

If symptoms improve with the use of this medication, your doctor will continue to treat your condition as asthma.

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