AndhraHospitals.info

Asthma (Az-muh) is a chronic disease that affects your airways. The airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways are inflamed (swollen). The inflammation (IN-fla-MAY-shun) makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating. When the airways react, they get narrower, and less air flows through to your lung tissue. This causes symptoms like wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), coughing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing, especially at night and in the early morning.

Common asthma symptoms include: Coughing. Coughing from asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning, making it hard to sleep. Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe. Chest tightness. This can feel like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest. Shortness of breath. Some people say they can't catch their breath, or they feel breathless or out of breath. You may feel like you can't get enough air in or out of your lungs. Faster breathing or noisy breathing. Not all people have these symptoms, and symptoms may vary from one asthma attack to another. Symptoms can differ in how severe they are: Sometimes symptoms can be mildly annoying, other times they can be serious enough to make you stop what you are doing, and sometimes symptoms can be so serious that they are life threatening.

Who Is At Risk for Asthma? In the United States, about 20 million people have been diagnosed with asthma; nearly 9 million of them are children. Asthma is closely linked to allergies. Most, but not all, people with asthma have allergies. Children with a family history of allergy and asthma are more likely to have asthma. Although asthma affects people of all ages, it most often starts in childhood. More boys have asthma than girls, but in adulthood, more women have asthma than men. Although asthma affects people of all races, African Americans are more likely than Caucasians to be hospitalized for asthma attacks and to die from asthma.

Some things your doctor will ask about include: Periods of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, or chest tightness that come on suddenly, occur often, or seem to happen during certain times of the year or season Colds that seem to "go to the chest" or take more than 10 days to get over Medicines you may have used to help your breathing Your family history of asthma and allergies Things that seem to cause your symptoms or make them worse Your doctor will listen to your breathing and look for signs of asthma or allergies. If your spirometry results are normal but you have asthma symptoms, your doctor will probably want you to have other tests to see what else could be causing your symptoms. These include: Allergy testing to find out if and what allergens affect you. A test in which you use a peak flow meter every day for 1-2 weeks to check your breathing. A peak flow meter is a hand-held device that helps you monitor how well you are breathing. A test to see how your airways react to exercise. Tests to see if you have gastroesophageal reflux disease. A test to see if you have sinus disease. Other tests, such as a chest x ray or an electrocardiogram, may be needed to find out if a foreign object or other lung diseases or heart disease could be causing your symptoms. A correct diagnosis is important because asthma is treated differently from other diseases with similar symptoms.

Active asthma management Knowing the appropriate medicines to take and being aware of your specific symptoms and triggers are important in an active asthma management programme. If you have an inhaler, you should spend some time learning how to use it properly. Your doctor may ask you to keep a daily symptom diary and/or a peak flow chart using a peak flow meter. This will help your doctor to monitor your asthma and to decide on the most suitable treatment for you. Trigger avoidance An essential part of controlling asthma is taking steps to avoid exposure to those substances which may trigger an attack, for example stopping smoking or avoiding dust mites, or keeping pets outdoors as much as possible.

We don't yet know how to prevent asthma, but there are some things that can lower your chances of having an asthma attack. To prevent asthma symptoms: Learn about your asthma and how to control it. Use medicines as directed by your doctor to prevent or stop attacks. Avoid things that make your asthma worse as much as possible. Get regular checkups from your doctor. Follow your asthma self-management plan. Scientists do not yet know how to prevent the inflammation of the airways that leads to asthma. Scientists are exploring some theories: Babies exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to get asthma. If a woman is exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy, her baby may also be more likely to get asthma. Obesity may be linked to asthma, as well as other health problems.