Don’t Miss Out on the Latest Updates.
Subscribe to Our Newsletter Today!
What Is Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways. It makes breathing difficult. There is inflammation of the air passages that result in a temporary narrowing of the airways leading to wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing. It is a Reversible Obstructive Airway Disease (ROAD) because the obstruction of the lungs is reversible, either spontaneously or with medication. It is also referred to as bronchial asthma. It is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. The word asthma is derived from a Greek word which means breathlessness or panting.
What happens in our body during an asthma attack?
The air we breathe reaches the lung through the windpipe (trachea), which divides into two large tubes (bronchi). Each bronchi further divides into many little tubes (bronchioles). Bronchioles eventually lead to tiny air sacs (alveoli), where oxygen from the air is exchanged with carbon dioxide from the bloodstream
There are three features of asthma:
Airway obstruction. During breathing, muscle surrounding the airways is relaxed and air moves freely. But in asthma, allergy-causing substances make the muscle surrounding the airways tighten and air cannot move freely. This causes a person to feel short of breath and breathing becomes laboured. The air moving through the tightened airways causes a whistling sound known as wheezing.
Inflammation. The inflammation occurs in response to an allergen or irritant and results from the action of chemical mediators (histamine, leukotriene, etc.). People with asthma have red and swollen bronchial tubes. The inflamed tissues produce an excess amount of "sticky" mucus into the tubes. Irritation of the airways by excessive mucus may also initiate coughing.
Airway irritability. The airways of people with asthma are extremely sensitive to even the slightest triggers such as pollen, animal dander, dust or fumes.
What are the triggers that cause Asthma?
Asthma is caused due to inflammation in the airways. During an asthma attack, the muscles surrounding the airways become tight and the lining of the air passages become swollen. This reduces the amount of air that can pass by.
Asthma triggers can be broadly categorized into:
1. SPECIFIC(Allergens and Irritants): In sensitive people, asthma symptoms is triggered by breathing in allergy-causing substances like:
2. NON-SPECIFIC: Emotional Stress: extreme emotions such as anxiety, anger and fear induce stress which in turn changes heart-rate and breathing patterns. There is rapid, shallow breathing causing constriction of airways and this consequently leads to an asthmatic attack.
What are the symptoms of Asthma?
Most people with asthma have attacks separated by symptom-free periods. You may not have any asthma attack symptoms for weeks to months. Symptoms include:
If you or anyone you know experiences the symptoms below, it is an emergency and time to call a doctor:
What happens during severe asthma attack? What is Status Asthmaticus?
A severe, potentially fatal attack of asthma is called status asthmaticus. An acute asthma attack is potentially life-threatening because it may continue despite the use of your usual asthma medications (inhaled bronchodilators). The symptoms may include:
What are the types of Asthma
1. Asthma due to allergies: Allergic asthma is the most common type of asthma. Allergic rhinitis (hay fever) is inflammation of the inner lining of the nose due to increased sensitivity (allergy) to a substance. Your body's immune cells release histamines along with other chemicals leading to allergy symptoms. Most of the times asthma symptoms are triggered by allergic rhinitis. The muscles around your airways tighten (an effect called bronchospasm). The airways themselves become inflamed and flooded with thick mucus.
2. Exercise-Induced Asthma: Exercise-induced asthma is a type of asthma triggered by vigorous or prolonged exercise or physical exertion. Narrowing of airway begins five to 20 minutes after exercise begins, making it difficult to catch your breath.
Normally, the air we take in is first warmed and moistened by the nasal passages. But during exercise people tend to breathe through their mouths thus inhaling colder and drier air. In exercise-induced asthma, the muscle bands around the airways are sensitive to these changes in temperature and humidity. They react by contracting, which narrows the airway. This results in symptoms of exercised-induced asthma.
3. Cough-Variant Asthma: Severe coughing with asthma is the predominant symptom in this type of asthma. Asthma triggers for cough-variant asthma are usually postnasal drip, chronic rhinitis, sinusitis or heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD). It is vastly underdiagnosed and undertreated.
4. Occupational Asthma: Substances found in the workplace cause the airways of the lungs to swell and narrow, leading to asthma attacks. The patient develops symptoms of asthma as the result of an irritant, not an allergic reaction. The most common triggers are wood dust, grain dust, animal dander, fungi or chemicals like ammonia. Workers at higher risk are bakers, detergent manufacturers, drug manufacturers, millers, those working with animals and in textile industry, etc.
5. Nocturnal (Night time) Asthma: Chances of having symptoms are much higher during sleep because asthma is influenced by the sleep-wake cycle (circadian rhythms). It can ruin sleep regardless of the time of day. Reasons may be due to any of these:
When should I call my doctor for Asthma?
Call your doctor if:
You may need emergency treatment if the following symptoms occur:
Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma
Self care and Prevention of Asthma
You may also like to read:
For more articles on asthma, check out our asthma section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.