Asthma: A Lifelong Condition

Asthma is a long-term lung condition that makes it difficult to breathe and causes wheezing when air passages narrow and become inflamed. Ranging from mild to severe, people usually only have occasional, mild symptoms while others can have severe, life threatening attacks. It is often a lifelong condition. Treatment can help control the symptoms. It can be developed early, often before the age of five, but symptoms can begin anytime. The American Lung Association estimates that about 25 million people in the United States will have asthma symptoms during their lifetime. One-third of asthma patents are children, but asthma goes away on its own or becomes less severe in half of the children.

During an asthma attack, the airways become inflamed, narrowing in size due to the muscles around them constricting. Mucus produced by the inflammation fills a narrower passageway, making the flow of air to be partially blocked. When seeking treatment, the focus is on preventing the inflammation and relaxing them muscles surrounding the airways. Asthma inflammation can be triggered by several ways. Common allergens such as animal dander, pollen, mold, dust mites, cockroaches and certain foods have proven to be triggers. Others on the list include colds, exercise, breathing cold air, smoke, strong odors and stress. For some, no triggers can be identified.

Asthma has more symptoms than not being able to breathe. A wheezing noise sounding like a whistling sound is created as air is forcibly expelled. Your chest can tighten and a cough and arise. These symptoms can vary in severity, as the symptoms are based from person to person. During severe attacks, your pulse will rise and will begin to sweat profusely. Your nostrils will flare and you will have a need to sit upright. Some may get a discoloration of the lips and fingernails.

When going to your doctor for diagnosis, tell him everything from what symptoms you have, how severe they are, what and when they occur and what relieves them. This will help your doctor prevent these asthma attacks. There are two tests that may be done to diagnose and measure the levels of your asthma. One is spirometry. You exhale into a device that analyzes the amount and volume of airflow you exhaled. Then, you will be given a medication that relaxes the muscles surrounding the airways, which should improve breathing. If it does, this is an indication you have asthma. Another test is using a peak-flow meter. This small tube measure the speed that you can expel air at when exhaled. You can often get this device to use at home to monitor your asthma and detect when the asthma flare-up occurs. Skin tests or allergy tests may be done if the doctor suspects that allergens trigger your asthma.

There are some steps you can take to prevent some asthma episodes. Minimize your environmental triggers such as cigarette smoke, environmental pollutants and some chemicals. If exercise triggers your asthma, breathe warm, humidified air before exercise or use inhalers. Eliminating allergens at home can go a long way when controlling your asthma. Avoid pets if they are a trigger. Try staying indoors as much as possible if pollen is a trigger. If you monitor your symptoms with a peak-flow meter, you can judge when and where attacks can happen and can stop them from occurring. Early symptoms that a flare-up will occur can be an excessive amount of coughing, increased levels of mucus or phlegm, become short of breath, getting a sinus headache or fever, or having some symptoms that resemble a cold.

If you have asthma, work with your doctor to find a plan that fits in your lifestyle while keeping your asthma under control. This plan should include medications, how to avoid triggers, and a log of peak-flow meter results. Some medications can work for you, while others may not. A bronchodilator relaxes the muscles surround the airways, which increases airflow. Some bronchodilators can be used as "rescue medications", used to stop an attack that is occurring. Others may be taken to prevent and control it before it happens. These are generally not the best to use during an asthma attack because they take a long time before they begin working. Anti-inflammatory medications are also used to prevent asthma attacks from occurring. These can reduce the inflammation and reduce the constriction that occurs. Steroid medications can be taken. Higher dosed steroid medications can be provided to be used for severe attacks. Immunotherapy can also benefit people. The person is injected with increasing amount of allergens to desensitize the person's immune system. Triggers of dust mites, mold spores and animals prove to have the best results in this technique. Severe asthma attacks should be treated in hospitals. Oxygen can be administrated and drugs given. Sometimes, breathing tubes may need to be placed.

The best way to control your asthma is by contacting your doctor and setting up appointments that monitor you over a long period of time. As a fellow asthmatic, I hope you can live the life you've always wanted regardless of your asthma.