May 6th of every year is celebrated as World Asthma Day, Myhealth Mywellbeing Blog will not be left behind in explaining to you, all you need to know about Asthma.
To understand asthma, a chronic disease that causes your airways to become inflamed, it helps to first know how your airways work.
How Do Normal Airways Work?
When we breathe in, air moves through our airways – from our nose or mouth, down a large hollow tube in the front of the neck called a windpipe or trachea – and into our lungs.
The trachea divides into two tubes called bronchial tubes in the lungs. They look like upside-down trees. As the bronchial tubes pass through the lungs, they divide into smaller air passages called bronchioles. At the end of each bronchiole are tiny air sacs that fill up with air, like tiny balloons, each time we breathe in. These are called alveoli.
Air comes into our lungs each time we breathe in. This air has oxygen in it. Oxygen has a special job. It helps feed, or give energy to, all parts of our body so we can walk, talk, eat and exercise.
How Do Airways Work When You Have Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic, long-term disease of the airways, the tubes that carry air into our lungs.
When you have asthma, your airways aren't able to function as well as they should.
Asthma causes inflammation, or swelling, in the lungs. It can also cause squeezing, called bronchoconstriction, and extra sensitive or twitchy airways. It causes inflammation and narrowing of the bronchial tubes that leads to airflow limitation.
When something bothers your airways, you have trouble breathing. This is called an asthma attack or episode. It gets harder to breathe because the tiny muscles around your airways squeeze tightly and they have swelling inside.
Your airways will make more mucus inside your airways, which makes it even harder to breathe. These changes in your airways can cause coughing and wheezing.
Symptoms of Asthma
Asthma can be different for everyone. Asthma symptoms can also vary over time, with few or no symptoms when asthma is well-controlled. The most common symptoms include:
These symptoms can occur slowly over hours or days, or they can come on as sudden, recurring attacks after which the symptoms can persist for some time before disappearing. If left untreated, asthma can cause permanent structural changes in your airways called – “airway remodelling,” – which is why it is important to get asthma under control and keep treating it over the long term.
Causes and triggers
Asthma is caused by swelling (inflammation) of the breathing tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. This makes the tubes highly sensitive, so they temporarily narrow.
It may occur randomly or after exposure to a trigger.
Common asthma triggers include:
✓Allergies (to house dust mites, animal fur or pollen, for example)
✓Smoke and pollution
✓Infections like colds or flu
Identifying and avoiding your asthma triggers can help you keep your symptoms under control.
How long does it last?
Asthma is a long-term condition for many people, particularly if it first develops when you're an adult.
In children, it sometimes goes away or improves during the teenage years, but can come back later in life.
The symptoms can usually be controlled with treatment. Most people will have normal, active lives, although some with more severe asthma may have ongoing problems.
Complications
Although asthma can normally be kept under control, it's still a serious condition that can cause a number of problems.
This is why it's important to follow your treatment plan and not ignore your symptoms if they're getting worse.
Badly controlled asthma can cause problems such as:
✓feeling tired all the time
✓underperformance at, or absence from, work or school
stress, anxiety or depression
✓disruption of your work and leisure because of unplanned visits to a General Practitioner or hospital
✓lung infections (pneumonia)
✓delays in growth or puberty in children
There's also a risk of severe asthma attacks, which can be life threatening.
Treatments for asthma
Asthma is usually treated by using an inhaler, a small device that lets you breathe in medicines.
The main types are:
1). Reliever inhalers – used when needed to quickly relieve asthma symptoms for a short time.
2). Preventer inhalers – used every day to prevent asthma symptoms occurring. It's use to manage and control asthma.
Some people also need to take tablets.
When to see Medical Doctor or Pharmacist
See a Medical Doctor or a Pharmacist if you think you or your child may have asthma.
Several conditions can cause similar symptoms, so it's important to get a proper diagnosis and correct treatment.
The Medical Doctor or Pharmacist will usually be able to diagnose asthma by asking about symptoms and carrying out some simple tests.
Watch out for our next write up
MyHealth MyWellbeing - Your Health and Wellbeing is Our Priority..
Our Social Media Platforms are
Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/myhealthandmywellbeing
Telegram channel: http://t.me/myhealthmywellbeing
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/myhealthmyw
Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/oladokun-sunday-339733190acebook
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/myhealthmywellbeing/
Whatsapp Platform:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/DJK2TeAkvMF5Nr8DE9qe4A
WhatsApp Chat Line:
08176229093
MyHealth MyWellbeing - Your Health and Wellbeing is Our Priority..
Our Social Media Platforms are
Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/myhealthandmywellbeing
Telegram channel: http://t.me/myhealthmywellbeing
Twitter: https://mobile.twitter.com/myhealthmyw
Linkedin:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/oladokun-sunday-339733190acebook
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/myhealthmywellbeing/
Whatsapp Platform:
https://chat.whatsapp.com/DJK2TeAkvMF5Nr8DE9qe4A
WhatsApp Chat Line:
08176229093
