Asthma Symptoms

Together constriction and inflammation cause narrowing of the airways that result in symptoms such as: wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath and mucus production.

Asthma can be life-threatening if not managed properly. It is important to take your asthma seriously, take your asthma medication, avoid asthma triggers, and consult your doctor when asthma symptoms don't improve.

Usually symptoms are started or "triggered" by something that bothers your lungs. These things are called asthma triggers. There are many kinds of triggers. For instance, asthma can be tried by a cold or by allergies. You can help control your asthma by understanding these triggers and limiting your exposure to them. Some triggers can include:

Allergies to pollens, mold, pets, feathers, and other things in your environment
Emotions, including fear, crying, laughing, stress, excitement
Exercise, especially when it leads to overexertion
Cold weather
Air pollution such as tobacco smoke, high ozone levels, and traffic fumes
Household irritants, including dust, and cleaning products
Illnesses such as a cold or respiratory infection
Medications, including some over-the-counter pain relievers
Weather, particularly wind and cold air
Strong odors and sprays including perfume
Cockroaches and dust mites
Tobacco and wood smoke

An Asthma Attack

Doctors are not exactly certain how you get asthma. But they do know that once you have it, your lungs react to things that can start an asthma attack. For instance, when you have asthma, you might have an asthma attack when you have a cold (or some other kind of respiratory infection). Or, you might have an attack when you breathe something that bothers your lungs (such as cigarette smoke, dust or feathers). When this happens, changes take place in your lungs: Cells in your air tubes make more mucus than normal. This mucus is very thick and sticky. It tends to clog up the tubes. The air tubes tend to swell, just as skin swells when you get a scrape. The muscles in your air tubes tighten. These changes cause the air tubes to narrow. This makes it hard to breathe. Asthma attacks may start suddenly. Or they may take a long time, even days, to develop. Attacks can be severe, moderate or mild.

Controlling Asthma at Home

Avoid your asthma triggers
Reduce or remove asthma triggers in your home environment by using air cleaning devices, air conditioning and a dehumidifier throughout your home to filter the air.
In the bedroom, avoid dust mites by washing all bedding every week in hot water, and use allergen permeable covers on your pillows and mattress. Remove carpeting and stuffed animals and dust often using a damp cloth to avoid using cleaning chemicals. Use blinds, window shades or curtains made from plastic.
Stretch your time indoors to reduce time spent outside.
Wash pollen off your hair and body after exercising outside.
Wear a mask and sunglasses outside when gardening or doing yard work.
See your doctor regularly. Take your medications regularly.
Avoid vacuuming and dusting or, if you must, wear a dust mask.
Take your asthma and allergies seriously!

The Facts About Asthma

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute about 20 million people have been diagnosed with asthma; nearly 9 million of them are children.

In 2004, there were 13.6 million physician office visits and 1 million outpatient department visits due to asthma.
Asthma accounts for one-quarter of all emergency room visits in the United States each year with 2 million emergency room visits in 2001.
Approximately 44% of all asthma hospitalizations are for children.
There are approximately 5,000 deaths from asthma annually.
Direct health care costs for asthma in the United States total more than $10 billion annually; indirect costs (lost productivity) add another $8 billion for a total of $18 billion.
Prescription drugs represented the largest single direct medical expenditure, over $5 billion.
Children 5-17 years of age missed 14.7 million school days due to asthma in 2002.
Asthma accounts for approximately 24.5 million missed work days for adults annually.

Asthma statistics in West Virginia (Prevalence Estimates among School Children - WV Youth Tobacco Survey):

The American Lung Association of WV reports that approximately 31,000 school-aged children are affected by asthma each year in West Virginia. Asthma causes more lost school days than any other chronic illness.
The prevalence of lifetime asthma was 23.2% among middle school students and 21.1% among high school students.
About 10.5% of middle school students and 7.3% of high school students report they take prescription medication for asthma.
In 2002 approximately 10.3% of middle school students and 8.8% of high school students had an asthma attack during the school year.
In both middle and high schools, about 57% of all students who had asthma attacks in the past year missed one or more school days in that year due to their asthma. Asthma causes more lost days from school that any other chronic illness.
During 1995-2001, state-wide hospital charges for inpatient care related to a primary diagnosis of asthma averaged about $10.3 million per year.

Asthma Treatment

Two classes of medications are used to treat asthma; anti-inflammatory agents and bronchodilators.

Anti-inflammatory drugs interrupt the development of bronchial inflammation and have a preventive action. They may also modify or terminate ongoing inflammatory reactions in the airways. These agents include corticosteroids, cromolyn sodium, and other anti-inflammatory compounds. A new class of anti-inflammatory medications known as leukotriene modifiers, which work in a different way by blocking the activity of chemicals called leukotrienes that are involved in airway inflammation, have recently come on the market.

Bronchodilators act principally to open the airways by relaxing bronchial muscle.

Despite the numerous drugs available asthma is still poorly managed. It is important to see your doctor regularly and take your medications consistently.

Updated: September 19, 2007