WHAT IS IT?
Asthma narrows and clogs the airways in your lungs. If you have
it, you can breathe normally most of the time, but not during an
asthma attack, when tiny airways called bronchial tubes swell
and fill with mucus. Then you will cough, wheeze, and have
trouble breathing.
Attacks can come on fast. They may last only a few minutes
but usually go on for hours, or even a day or longer. In a
severe attack, the airways become so narrow and clogged that
breathing is nearly impossible. Then you need emergency
treatment. Without prompt medical help, severe asthma can be
fatal.
Most people, however, can control their asthma by staying
away from things that trigger it and by taking medications their
doctors prescribe.
Asthma is a chronic disease. That means you may have it the
rest of your life, with symptoms that can come and go. Anyone
can get it, although it seems more common and more serious among
African American children than others. Asthma also runs in
families. If a close relative has it, you are more likely to
have it.
About 15 million Americans have asthma, almost 5 million of
them children under 18. It's the number one cause of children
missing school and of children going to the hospital. Many seem
to outgrow the illness, but it sometimes returns in adulthood.
In the past 20 years the number of people who have asthma has
almost doubled. Experts aren't sure why, but they think this may
be the result of greater air pollution or more people working in
closed buildings with poor ventilation.
If you have asthma, you'll have to make some changes-for
example, learning about the early signs of an attack. Once you
know how to manage it, chances are you can live normally. In
fact, many world-class athletes, including Olympic gold
medalists, have asthma
Symptoms
Different people have different combinations of symptoms.
Mild or moderate asthma attack
These symptoms may all come from conditions other than
asthma-for example, pneumonia, bronchitis, croup, chronic
obstructive pulmonary disease, and even heart disease. Your
doctor will make a diagnosis based on your symptoms and by
ruling out other problems.
The doctor will probably test your pulmonary function-ability
to breathe in and out-using a peak flow meter. This test shows
how severe your asthma is.
You and your doctor together will try to find the cause of
your attacks. If it's an allergy, a skin test for
allergens-substances that cause allergies-can show what you need
to avoid. The doctor or nurse will scratch drops of liquid
containing various allergens into your skin. If you're allergic
to something in one of the drops, a small welt will appear at
that spot.
If your asthma doesn't seem to be caused by anything in the
skin test, then you and your doctor will look for other triggers
in your home or workplace.
