Why Is Asthma Important?
Introduction: When people hear the word “asthma” they don’t put much thought into it. Most people don’t think asthma can actually be a serious or deadly condition. Individuals assume you just use your inhaler and you’re good to go. Just think about being underwater and trying to get to that little inch above the surface to gasp for air. Asthma can also cause anxiety of the feeling of not being able to breathe. Asthma is very common throughout the world and it causes deaths every day. So what exactly is asthma and how does it affect your lungs? Asthma is a chronic condition which causes inflammation that narrows your bronchial tubes. The bronchial tubes are very important to us in breathing because it is the passageways to allow air to enter
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and then leave or exit the lungs. There are many signs when it comes to asthma. Most of the known symptoms would be constant: shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, a wheezing sound within the chest and coughing. Certain activities, allergies and a different variety of things can trigger asthma. As Americans we should be more aware of our own symptoms or the symptoms of people, of all ages, around us are experiencing. There is also more than one type of asthma. Although there isn’t any specific cure yet for asthma there are many precautions and medicines that we can help manage it. Being in the time we live now we’re more aware of this condition and less deaths have been prevented than years before or when it first originated. We are so advanced now in technology we have a larger variety of tests and modalities to enhance our knowledge and to give the best treatment available.
Background: Studies show that asthma has been around ever since the ancient Egyptian times which was in the 1870s. The way the Egyptians would try to cure asthma was to heat a mixture of herbs and to inhale their fumes (Crosa, Peter). As you can see we live in such a time where we transitioned and expanded our knowledge about asthma and ways to help our symptoms. We have medications, bronchial thermoplasty, and alternative treatments. Most asthma patients take two medications, controller medicines, that restricts inflammation and bronchodilators. Bronchodilators are used when you feel short of breath, the tightness within the chest and the absolute struggle for the need to breath. These bronchodilators give you fast relief by opening the airway and allowing the passageways to carry on. Quick relief medicines should not be used daily but only when you’re feeling symptoms of an actual asthma attack. We also have different modalities that can help detect asthma like radiographic (X-Ray) examines, mostly chest x-rays, and computed tomography (CT) which can show a 3D view of the lungs and show finer detailed pictures or scans. It is much easier to diagnose and treat asthma symptoms today than in the ancient Egyptian times back in the 1870s. So how common really is asthma? About twenty six million (26,000,000) Americans have asthma. This is eight percent (8%) of adults and ten percent (10%) of children. Asthma affects more than two hundred thirty million (230,000,000) people in the world. Asthma has been increasing since the early 1980s in all ages, sex and racial groups . For some reason asthma occurs more in males than it does and females and it is the one of the top reasons there are absences in school (AAFA). Some people but not all are able to outgrow asthma, this is why the rate is higher in children than it is in adults. So exactly how many deaths are caused by asthma? Each day there are at least nine people that die and more than three thousand six hundred (3,600) people die each year from asthma. Death rate has declined twenty six percent (26%) because of our advanced technology and medicines now since 1996 (AAFA). There is no knowledge of what is the cause of asthma but we do know some of the certain things or reasons that trigger asthma. Genetics also play a role in asthma by having allergies, which is the biggest trigger. Food, environmental changes, inhaled allergens, animals and much more can also trigger symptoms. Eighty percent (80%) of people who have asthma are likely to be allergic to fresh cut grass, animal fur, pollen and dust particles (Asthma Causes and Triggers). It is important to know where you are and what situation you’re in when your symptoms occur. Knowing this can help prevent or cut down the frequency of asthma attacks. Asthma can be controlled in a way.
There are more than one type of asthma such as exercise induced asthma, nighttime asthma, and occupational asthma. Exercise induced asthma is a type of asthma triggered by exercise or physical exertion. Many people with asthma experience some degree of symptoms with exercise (Alli, Renee A). People mostly experience the feeling of an asthma attack and get very short of breath along with the wheezing sound. It could start within three to five minutes of your exercise or at the very end. Some Doctors will suggest to take an asthma inhaler or also known as the bronchodilators, five to ten minutes prior of working out or doing any physical exertion. The reason for this is to help prevent these uncomfortable symptoms and getting through whatever you may be doing. Exercise induced asthma is very common in athletes and it can cause a struggle to do your best. Nighttime asthma is also referred as nocturnal asthma. Many people who are diagnosed with asthma will have a greater chance of having their symptoms at night during sleep, which is influenced by the sleep wake cycle. The typical asthma symptoms will occur but are most dangerous during sleep. There are studies that show more asthma deaths occur at night during sleep than during the day. During the night you could be exposed by increased allergens (Alli, Renee A.). Occupational asthma is the name itself. It is the type of asthma of whatever your workplace may trigger your symptoms. The most common symptoms of occupational asthma are runny noses, irritation in the eyes, and coughing. Some of the common jobs that cause this is, interaction with animals, painters, hairdressers, and many more (Alli, Renee A.). It is important to realize when your symptoms take place and exactly what your symptoms are. Doctors will prescribe you with the best medication that will best suit you and help those uncomfortable symptoms.
Some people are at a much higher risk of getting asthma than another person. For comparison, who would be more likely to develop asthma? A child who is obese or someone who is in very good shape and exercises daily? The child who is obese and doesn’t exercise would be more likely at a higher risk to develop asthma than the other person. That doesn’t mean that person who is in shape won’t develop asthma. Asthma can come onto anyone at any given time. It is more likely when you’re younger but there is no age limit. There is a rate shown that more obese personnelles have a higher percentage of asthma than others at a maintained, healthy weight. As obesity is rising in the United States, asthma is also occurring more often. Obesity causes chronic inflammation throughout the body, including the lungs. As stated previously asthma is caused by inflammation in the lungs. Now you can see why obesity is linked closely with asthma. If a person is pregnant and has a very poor diet they give a higher risk of developing asthma for their child. It is shown that people who eat more fruits in their diets are more unlikely prone to asthma and asthma like symptoms. If you’re obese and have asthma are you going to have more severe symptoms to a normal person with asthma? The answer to that is, no. There are no studies that show someone that is obese having more severe asthma symptoms than someone else. The best way to reduce your asthma symptoms if you’re obese is adding more fruit to your diet like; fresh grapes, apples, bananas, nectarines, and oranges, exercising daily and weight management. You also want to try to avoid those trans fats like doughnuts and french fries. It is reported that obese asthma people who have lost weight and continuing to exercise don’t experience those asthma symptoms frequently anymore. They are at a less need to grab their inhaler or that certain medicine they would take to help them be able to breathe ( Lang, Jason E., M.D.).
Current Events: Some of the current studies that are being done today in the United States for asthma are a physical exam, tests to measure lung function, allergy test, methacholine challenge, sputum eosinophils, and more. Usually when you’re having a hard time breathing they will do a spirometry test. The spirometry test will test the narrowing of your bronchial tubes by measuring how much exhaling has happened after taking a deep breath while measuring how fast you breathe out. They may also use a peak flow meter which measures how hard you can breathe out. If you have lower peak flow than usually it could be a sign that your lungs aren’t working properly and could be the cause of asthma. The spirometry and peak flow test are done before and after giving a bronchodilator to the person that is having difficulty breathing. Usually if you feel better and your lungs open up after using a bronchodilator you most likely have asthma (Asthma Tests and Diagnosis). The methacholine challenge is known as an asthma trigger. Methacholine will cause a mild construction when inhaled. When inhaled and you have a mild reaction that is another sign you have asthma. Imaging tests can also be done like chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scan of your nose and lungs to look for abnormalities. There are different signs and symptoms to classify you under either as mild, moderate, or severe. Mild intermittent would be having symptoms up to two days a week and two nights a month. Mild persistent are having symptoms more than twice a week but no more than one attack in a single day. Moderate persistent are symptoms more than once a day and more than one a night. Severe persistent are symptoms throughout the day on most days and frequently at night. Your doctor will ask you questions like, “how often are your symptoms, how is your breathing during the day/night, do you seem to have any allergies that could alert your attacks?” Based off your answers your doctor will classify you under which level he feels is appropriate (Asthma Tests and Diagnosis). Your doctor will also figure out which treatment will be best for you and tracking your daily breathing.
Discussion/Conclusion: Asthma is one of the major chronic respiratory conditions which alter the respiratory function of the body.
Asthma isn’t the number one cause for deaths but it is definitely a concern today as more and more people are being diagnosed. It is a kind of condition that simply should not be ignored but instead brought to one’s attention and to get treatment. If you ever find the common symptoms of being short of breath, coughing, wheezing and having a hard time exercising as a regular or daily thing, you should seek attention. Asthma can and does cause deaths among individuals. If you have a child and see the common symptoms it is very important to get that child checked. Asthma attacks isn’t something you should play around with. If you know your child or yourself has asthma it is crucial to always carry a bronchodilator or anything you may have as a treatment during a freak or unexpected episode. If you have a very severe case of asthma it is important for family members and yourself to recognize the different signs. It can potentially save yours or someone’s life. Another thing you should always remember is where you are and what certain things can trigger your symptoms. Trying to avoid such things like fresh cut grass, animals and anything dusty could be a good strategy to prevent any kind of attack. Sometimes if you’re having trouble breathing you can go into a room and open the window for some fresh air. Another good way to help you breathe is to have a air humidifier in a room. Having air being filtered out can be very useful to some people, especially during nights while sleeping. With knowing there is no specific cure for asthma it is all about going around preventing and managing your
symptoms. If you ever see someone experiencing an asthma attack it is very important to try to calm and relax them while telling them to breathe slowly. During an asthma attack many things are running through that person's head. One of the big things is death. During an asthma attack the person is dealing with extreme anxiety and fear. The fear comes from the thought of death while gasping for air not being able to breathe. The person can also become stressed in this situation. It is important for the person who is watching to remain calm and have a gently soft voice. By screaming and looking shaking it only stresses that person out more and makes matters worse. This isn’t exactly true for everyone but it is for certain people. Some people also don’t have self awareness while having an asthma attack and can become more aggressive. It is always good to keep aware and help the person as best as you can. Being in the time frame we are in now, people with asthma are more fortunate. Being exposed to asthma for many years we are more efficient and have a greater awareness when it comes to asthma. We have different tests that can be done, different modalities, and different treatments for asthma. Although the number of asthma victims are rising the death rate is decreasing because of our advanced technology and treatments. Hopefully in years to come scientists will be able to discover an actual cure for asthma. Until then it is critical to have an appropriate diet, awareness of what triggers attacks, and not smoking. In conclusion asthma is a chronic condition which causes inflammation that narrows your bronchial tubes. The cause of this is the desire to be able to breathe and being very short of breath. New technology and more advanced examines like, radiographic images (X-rays), physical examinations, pulmonary function tests can be done to determine asthma. When having an asthma attack you can use a bronchodilator that will help relieve that need to breathe, your symptoms and essentially open your airways back up. There are certain risk factors that you should take into considerations with this condition. Staying away from anything that may trigger an attack and always having some sort of bronchodilator on hand. It is important to notice asthma symptoms and take that into concern. Keeping a healthy diet and maintaining an appropriate weight can also limit the number of asthma attacks in a person. It is also important for others who may not even have asthma be alert of people around them with asthma symptoms. Taking all of this into consideration it can help prevent and manage asthma as a whole.
and then leave or exit the lungs. There are many signs when it comes to asthma. Most of the known symptoms would be constant: shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, a wheezing sound within the chest and coughing. Certain activities, allergies and a different variety of things can trigger asthma. As Americans we should be more aware of our own symptoms or the symptoms of people, of all ages, around us are experiencing. There is also more than one type of asthma. Although there isn’t any specific cure yet for asthma there are many precautions and medicines that we can help manage it. Being in the time we live now we’re more aware of this condition and less deaths have been prevented than years before or when it first originated. We are so advanced now in technology we have a larger variety of tests and modalities to enhance our knowledge and to give the best treatment available.
Background: Studies show that asthma has been around ever since the ancient Egyptian times which was in the 1870s. The way the Egyptians would try to cure asthma was to heat a mixture of herbs and to inhale their fumes (Crosa, Peter). As you can see we live in such a time where we transitioned and expanded our knowledge about asthma and ways to help our symptoms. We have medications, bronchial thermoplasty, and alternative treatments. Most asthma patients take two medications, controller medicines, that restricts inflammation and bronchodilators. Bronchodilators are used when you feel short of breath, the tightness within the chest and the absolute struggle for the need to breath. These bronchodilators give you fast relief by opening the airway and allowing the passageways to carry on. Quick relief medicines should not be used daily but only when you’re feeling symptoms of an actual asthma attack. We also have different modalities that can help detect asthma like radiographic (X-Ray) examines, mostly chest x-rays, and computed tomography (CT) which can show a 3D view of the lungs and show finer detailed pictures or scans. It is much easier to diagnose and treat asthma symptoms today than in the ancient Egyptian times back in the 1870s. So how common really is asthma? About twenty six million (26,000,000) Americans have asthma. This is eight percent (8%) of adults and ten percent (10%) of children. Asthma affects more than two hundred thirty million (230,000,000) people in the world. Asthma has been increasing since the early 1980s in all ages, sex and racial groups . For some reason asthma occurs more in males than it does and females and it is the one of the top reasons there are absences in school (AAFA). Some people but not all are able to outgrow asthma, this is why the rate is higher in children than it is in adults. So exactly how many deaths are caused by asthma? Each day there are at least nine people that die and more than three thousand six hundred (3,600) people die each year from asthma. Death rate has declined twenty six percent (26%) because of our advanced technology and medicines now since 1996 (AAFA). There is no knowledge of what is the cause of asthma but we do know some of the certain things or reasons that trigger asthma. Genetics also play a role in asthma by having allergies, which is the biggest trigger. Food, environmental changes, inhaled allergens, animals and much more can also trigger symptoms. Eighty percent (80%) of people who have asthma are likely to be allergic to fresh cut grass, animal fur, pollen and dust particles (Asthma Causes and Triggers). It is important to know where you are and what situation you’re in when your symptoms occur. Knowing this can help prevent or cut down the frequency of asthma attacks. Asthma can be controlled in a way.
There are more than one type of asthma such as exercise induced asthma, nighttime asthma, and occupational asthma. Exercise induced asthma is a type of asthma triggered by exercise or physical exertion. Many people with asthma experience some degree of symptoms with exercise (Alli, Renee A). People mostly experience the feeling of an asthma attack and get very short of breath along with the wheezing sound. It could start within three to five minutes of your exercise or at the very end. Some Doctors will suggest to take an asthma inhaler or also known as the bronchodilators, five to ten minutes prior of working out or doing any physical exertion. The reason for this is to help prevent these uncomfortable symptoms and getting through whatever you may be doing. Exercise induced asthma is very common in athletes and it can cause a struggle to do your best. Nighttime asthma is also referred as nocturnal asthma. Many people who are diagnosed with asthma will have a greater chance of having their symptoms at night during sleep, which is influenced by the sleep wake cycle. The typical asthma symptoms will occur but are most dangerous during sleep. There are studies that show more asthma deaths occur at night during sleep than during the day. During the night you could be exposed by increased allergens (Alli, Renee A.). Occupational asthma is the name itself. It is the type of asthma of whatever your workplace may trigger your symptoms. The most common symptoms of occupational asthma are runny noses, irritation in the eyes, and coughing. Some of the common jobs that cause this is, interaction with animals, painters, hairdressers, and many more (Alli, Renee A.). It is important to realize when your symptoms take place and exactly what your symptoms are. Doctors will prescribe you with the best medication that will best suit you and help those uncomfortable symptoms.
Some people are at a much higher risk of getting asthma than another person. For comparison, who would be more likely to develop asthma? A child who is obese or someone who is in very good shape and exercises daily? The child who is obese and doesn’t exercise would be more likely at a higher risk to develop asthma than the other person. That doesn’t mean that person who is in shape won’t develop asthma. Asthma can come onto anyone at any given time. It is more likely when you’re younger but there is no age limit. There is a rate shown that more obese personnelles have a higher percentage of asthma than others at a maintained, healthy weight. As obesity is rising in the United States, asthma is also occurring more often. Obesity causes chronic inflammation throughout the body, including the lungs. As stated previously asthma is caused by inflammation in the lungs. Now you can see why obesity is linked closely with asthma. If a person is pregnant and has a very poor diet they give a higher risk of developing asthma for their child. It is shown that people who eat more fruits in their diets are more unlikely prone to asthma and asthma like symptoms. If you’re obese and have asthma are you going to have more severe symptoms to a normal person with asthma? The answer to that is, no. There are no studies that show someone that is obese having more severe asthma symptoms than someone else. The best way to reduce your asthma symptoms if you’re obese is adding more fruit to your diet like; fresh grapes, apples, bananas, nectarines, and oranges, exercising daily and weight management. You also want to try to avoid those trans fats like doughnuts and french fries. It is reported that obese asthma people who have lost weight and continuing to exercise don’t experience those asthma symptoms frequently anymore. They are at a less need to grab their inhaler or that certain medicine they would take to help them be able to breathe ( Lang, Jason E., M.D.).
Current Events: Some of the current studies that are being done today in the United States for asthma are a physical exam, tests to measure lung function, allergy test, methacholine challenge, sputum eosinophils, and more. Usually when you’re having a hard time breathing they will do a spirometry test. The spirometry test will test the narrowing of your bronchial tubes by measuring how much exhaling has happened after taking a deep breath while measuring how fast you breathe out. They may also use a peak flow meter which measures how hard you can breathe out. If you have lower peak flow than usually it could be a sign that your lungs aren’t working properly and could be the cause of asthma. The spirometry and peak flow test are done before and after giving a bronchodilator to the person that is having difficulty breathing. Usually if you feel better and your lungs open up after using a bronchodilator you most likely have asthma (Asthma Tests and Diagnosis). The methacholine challenge is known as an asthma trigger. Methacholine will cause a mild construction when inhaled. When inhaled and you have a mild reaction that is another sign you have asthma. Imaging tests can also be done like chest radiographs and computed tomography (CT) scan of your nose and lungs to look for abnormalities. There are different signs and symptoms to classify you under either as mild, moderate, or severe. Mild intermittent would be having symptoms up to two days a week and two nights a month. Mild persistent are having symptoms more than twice a week but no more than one attack in a single day. Moderate persistent are symptoms more than once a day and more than one a night. Severe persistent are symptoms throughout the day on most days and frequently at night. Your doctor will ask you questions like, “how often are your symptoms, how is your breathing during the day/night, do you seem to have any allergies that could alert your attacks?” Based off your answers your doctor will classify you under which level he feels is appropriate (Asthma Tests and Diagnosis). Your doctor will also figure out which treatment will be best for you and tracking your daily breathing.
Discussion/Conclusion: Asthma is one of the major chronic respiratory conditions which alter the respiratory function of the body.
Asthma isn’t the number one cause for deaths but it is definitely a concern today as more and more people are being diagnosed. It is a kind of condition that simply should not be ignored but instead brought to one’s attention and to get treatment. If you ever find the common symptoms of being short of breath, coughing, wheezing and having a hard time exercising as a regular or daily thing, you should seek attention. Asthma can and does cause deaths among individuals. If you have a child and see the common symptoms it is very important to get that child checked. Asthma attacks isn’t something you should play around with. If you know your child or yourself has asthma it is crucial to always carry a bronchodilator or anything you may have as a treatment during a freak or unexpected episode. If you have a very severe case of asthma it is important for family members and yourself to recognize the different signs. It can potentially save yours or someone’s life. Another thing you should always remember is where you are and what certain things can trigger your symptoms. Trying to avoid such things like fresh cut grass, animals and anything dusty could be a good strategy to prevent any kind of attack. Sometimes if you’re having trouble breathing you can go into a room and open the window for some fresh air. Another good way to help you breathe is to have a air humidifier in a room. Having air being filtered out can be very useful to some people, especially during nights while sleeping. With knowing there is no specific cure for asthma it is all about going around preventing and managing your
symptoms. If you ever see someone experiencing an asthma attack it is very important to try to calm and relax them while telling them to breathe slowly. During an asthma attack many things are running through that person's head. One of the big things is death. During an asthma attack the person is dealing with extreme anxiety and fear. The fear comes from the thought of death while gasping for air not being able to breathe. The person can also become stressed in this situation. It is important for the person who is watching to remain calm and have a gently soft voice. By screaming and looking shaking it only stresses that person out more and makes matters worse. This isn’t exactly true for everyone but it is for certain people. Some people also don’t have self awareness while having an asthma attack and can become more aggressive. It is always good to keep aware and help the person as best as you can. Being in the time frame we are in now, people with asthma are more fortunate. Being exposed to asthma for many years we are more efficient and have a greater awareness when it comes to asthma. We have different tests that can be done, different modalities, and different treatments for asthma. Although the number of asthma victims are rising the death rate is decreasing because of our advanced technology and treatments. Hopefully in years to come scientists will be able to discover an actual cure for asthma. Until then it is critical to have an appropriate diet, awareness of what triggers attacks, and not smoking. In conclusion asthma is a chronic condition which causes inflammation that narrows your bronchial tubes. The cause of this is the desire to be able to breathe and being very short of breath. New technology and more advanced examines like, radiographic images (X-rays), physical examinations, pulmonary function tests can be done to determine asthma. When having an asthma attack you can use a bronchodilator that will help relieve that need to breathe, your symptoms and essentially open your airways back up. There are certain risk factors that you should take into considerations with this condition. Staying away from anything that may trigger an attack and always having some sort of bronchodilator on hand. It is important to notice asthma symptoms and take that into concern. Keeping a healthy diet and maintaining an appropriate weight can also limit the number of asthma attacks in a person. It is also important for others who may not even have asthma be alert of people around them with asthma symptoms. Taking all of this into consideration it can help prevent and manage asthma as a whole.