Asthma Overview

Asthma pronounced (Asma), is an inflammation of your bronchial tubes (the airways from your lungs), that causes constriction and swelling making it difficult to breathe. It can be a simple wheezing issue to a life threatening debilitation.

Bronchial tubes that are inflamed can become quite sensitive to allergens and toxins in the air, and can go into a state of heightened bronchial hyperreactivity (BHR), which can become dangerous when exposed to irritants. Every case is different so it can be difficult to categorize the symptoms into certain groups.

Asthma affects over 15 million people in the U.S alone and is the most common chronic disease in children. There is no cure for asthma but with treatment it can be controlled along with minimizing exposure to irritants in the air that might trigger an attack.

What are the Symptoms of Asthma

While asthma symptoms vary from person to person and even from different times of day (night being the worst) most people exhibit similar traits such as wheezing, coughing, and full blown asthmatic episodes. All asthma symptoms include:

• Periods of shortness of breath.
• A whistling sound when breathing or any sound while inhaling or exhaling.
• A tightness feeling in the chest.
• Coughing both slight and chronic.
• Severe asthma can be as harsh as having to take multiple breathes in the middle of a sentence.

These symptoms can happen in a range of multiple times of day, weeks, or months. Can be very mild or can be so extreme that breathing becomes next to impossible and your lips turn a tint of blue from lack of oxygen. They can be triggered by allergens in the air, smoking, walking, running, or by no apparent reason at all.

What Causes Asthma

The exact cause of asthma isn’t known but researchers think a combination of family genes and environmental exposures interact to cause asthma to develop or act as a trigger. Such as:

• An inherited tendency to develop allergies, called atopy (AT-o-pe).
• Parents and grandparents who have developed asthma.
• Different respiratory infections.
• Airborne allergens like pollen, dander, mold, or smoke.
• exposure to viral infections in infancy and/or in early childhood when the immune system is beginning to develop.
• Sulfites, preservatives added to some perishable foods may be an asthma trigger.
• Allergic reactions to foods such as peanuts or shellfish.

Anything physical, that increases the need for more oxygen in the blood, can cause an asthma attack as well as any airborne irritants. If possible it’s suggested to limit exposure to any triggers you may have that might bring on an asthma attack.

How is Asthma Diagnosed

Your doctor may first run a series of tests to determine if your respiratory issue is asthmatic or a complication from another condition such as emphysema, bronchitis, or pneumonia. After it is determined that you have no other bacterial infections or medical conditions that may be causing the symptoms they will run tests to determine the severity of your asthma, these tests will help determine what medication might be necessary to treat your asthma and include:

• Spirometry (A lung function test) that tests how your lungs are working by measuring how much air you can exhale and the power behind it.
• Peak flow A meter that detects small changes in your breathing often before you notice them. This meter can be used at home so you can keep a record throughout the day in different situations.
• A Methacholine bronchial challenge If you have asthma inhaling a known mild trigger (methacholine) will cause constriction of the airways.  This is a common method to determine if you have asthma.
• Nitric oxide test If your airways are even slightly inflamed they produce more nitric oxide then normal. If your levels are high then it’s a sign you may have asthma.

Your doctor may also ask questions that will help determine if you have asthma as well as the severity of the asthma such as how hard it is to breathe under different circumstances and how often you have problems breathing. Using all or some of the information above your doctor will be able to properly diagnose and classfy your condition. The asthma classifications include:

• Mild intermittent Symptoms up to twice a week.
• Mild persistent Symptoms more then twice a week but not more then once a day.
• Moderate persistent Symptoms at least once a day.
• Severe persistent Daily symptoms happening on many occasions throughout the day and night.

Asthma Treatments and Medications

Asthma is a long term disease that has no cure but can be treated and controlled with different medications and by minimizing your exposure to known triggers.

There are two types of treatments available which include short term treatments, used to stop an attack almost instantly but only for a minimal amount of time, and long term treatments, a continued regiment to help prevent symptoms before they start.

Long Term Asthma Treatment Options Involve

• Inhaled corticosteroids Which include: fluticasone (Flovent Diskus), budesonide (Pulmicort), triamcinolone (Azmacort), flunisolide (Aerobid), beclomethasone (Qvar) and others are the most common long term treatments and work by reducing the inflammation of the airways. They most likely need to be used for weeks before they take effect and have minimal side effects.
• Long-acting beta-2 agonists (LABAs) Which include: salmeterol (Serevent Diskus) and formoterol (Foradil Aerolizer) are bronchodilators that help open airways and reduce inflimation. They are administered as inhalers and are used only as a long term treatment option.

• Leukotriene modifiers Which include: montelukast (Singulair), zafirlukast (Accolate) and zileuton (Zyflo CR) which are inhalers that work by decreasing mucus, opening the airway, reducing inflammation.
• Cromolyn and nedocromil (Tilade) Are inhailers that help control allergic reactions that may bring on asthma attacks. These need to be taken multiple times a day and are used with other medications to help control asthma symptoms.
• Theophylline comes in pill form that has to be taken daily that works by opening airways and relaxing muscles to help airflow.

Short Term Asthma Treatment Options Involve

• Short-acting beta-2 agonists Are inhalers that work within minutes and can last up to 8 hours. They work by opening airways during an attack by relaxing muscles.

• Oral and intravenous corticosteroids Are generally used for sever asthma attacks and work almost instantly. They work by relaxing muscles and opening the airways.

Many of these long term medications will be used together with short term asthma medications to help control your asthma during attacks.

Asthma Home Remedies and Prevention Methods

There are many things you can do to help control your asthma and minimize your attacks. Identifying what personally triggers your attacks and keep exposure to these triggers as low as possible is a great place to start in controlling your asthma.

Some quick and easy ideas to keep your attacks as infrequent and light as possible may include.

• Keeping your home and surroundings clean. Vacuum and dust often.
• Don’t smoke or expose yourself to smoke.
• If you have a pet have it professionally groomed and washed often to reduce hair and animal dander.
• Keep humidity at a minimal level even if you have to use a dehumidifier.
• Exercise regularly. Keeping your heart rate up and using your lungs may help get you into shape and lessen your severity of attacks. (consult your doctor first)
• GERD can make your condition worse so talk to your doctor if you have chronic heartburn.