What is Asthma

I had to ask myself this recently. I have had a continous cough that I could not shake. It had been lingering for almost three months. I went to the Doctor's office three times this year for this cough. Could not sleep, could not breathe properly and was having trouble even walking in the mall. The doctor believes it is the onset of asthma. Asthma is a disease of the lung airways. The airways get swollen and inflamed. They react easily to certain things, like viruses, smoke, or pollen. When the inflamed airways react, they get narrow. Each year, 5,000 people die from asthma.. Asthma is a chronic disease that can usually be managed with proper care.

Some signs of asthma may include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness. An asthma attack can be triggered in many ways. Contact with allergy triggers dust mites, animal dander, colds and flu, cigarette or cigar smoke, dirt in the air, poor air quality or even cold air. Although many children suffer from asthma there are a number of adults that develop this disease. See your doctor if you think that you have some of these chronic symptoms there are tests that the doctor to run including breathing test, chest x rays and tests to show whether breathing problems may be caused by allergies or heart disease.

There are many medicines used to treat asthma. The kind of drug used may depend on how bad your asthma is. There are prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs to treat asthma. If you find someone who is suffering from an asthma attach, remain calm, find the person's inhaler, assist them in moving them away from smoke, pollution and cold air. And if necessary call 911 to get them the assistance that they may need.