Living With Asthma Isn't Easy

Among all issues that can plague the respiratory system, one of the most common offenders is asthma. Asthma is a condition that can cause a person's airways to become swollen, narrow and inflamed. For some people, having asthma is nothing more than a minor issue that can be relieved with rest and taking things easy. However, in some cases it can prove to be a chronic issue that can interfere with activities of daily living, and leave to potentially life-threatening attacks. To this day, there is no cure for asthma, but due to advances in medicine, symptoms can be managed. It is important to consult with your doctor to adequately detect signs and symptoms that can cause asthma before the situation gets exacerbated. So what causes asthma, what are the symptoms and how can it be treated?

What Causes Asthma?

Asthma cannot be attributed to one singular cause, because there are both internal and external factors. There are a variety of triggers that can prompt asthma to appear. One of the more primary risk factors for asthma is being exposed to certain substances and irritants that can cause an allergic reaction. It is important to understand that these irritants can range for every person. Some of the most common triggers include pollen, mold spores, cockroach waste particles, dust mites, and pet dander.

Other factors that can increase your chance to develop asthma include environmental pollutant exposure, congenital deformities, a low birth weight, a history of recurrent infections of the respiratory tract and if you already have a condition called GERD. As you can see, asthma can be caused by a variety of factors and certain conditions affect certain people. It is important to recognize if you have any allergic reactions to some of the pollutants stated above.

Symptoms of Asthma

Just like the cause of asthma, the symptoms can range from person to person as well. You could have very few asthma attacks or even have them at specific times, like when you engage in rigorous exercise. Some of the more cardinal symptoms of asthma are shortness of breath, tightness of chest, trouble sleeping caused by coughing or while wheezing in sleep, a whistling sound when exhaling and frequent coughing.

As previously mentioned, signs and symptoms of asthma may arise only in specific situations. There is exercise-induced asthma in which asthma is created by intense exercise. Occupational asthma takes place when you only get asthma when exposed to certain chemical gases or dust. While the types of asthma are specific to certain situations, some of the most basic symptoms such as frequent coughing, an adventitious whistling sound when breathing and difficulty breathing are cardinal symptoms to look after.

Treatment of Asthma

There are a variety of ways that asthma can be treated. One of the most common methods by which asthma is treated is through the use of inhalers, which are also known as puffers. Metered dose inhalers utilize a canister of aerosol inserted into a plastic mouthpiece to deliver medicine in short bursts. Dry powder inhalers can deliver medicine in the form of dry powder by using a special variety of inhaler. If you need to use an inhaler, you should ask the doctor how to properly use it because more than half of all inhaler users don't know how.

There are also machines with tubing that takes liquid medicine and transforms it into a mist that helps you inhale. In terms of long-term medicines to control asthma, some are intended to reduce airway swelling and may be prescribed. There are also a class of medications that open the airways by relaxing the smooth muscle.

Living with asthma is certainly not easy, but it is also important to remain informed about this condition so that you know what you should stay away from, and how to treat it should you suffer from an attack.