Bronchial asthma is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the airways, reducing airflow to the lungs and causing wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. It affects approximately 22 million people in the US and 300 million worldwide. Asthma triggers include animal hair, dust, mold, pollen, food additives, chemicals, tobacco smoke, and stress. Asthma is partially genetically inherited and can be treated with medications to reduce the frequency and severity of attacks. Avoiding triggers can also help reduce symptoms.
Bronchial asthma, often referred to simply as asthma, is a chronic condition that causes inflammation of the bronchioles or airways. This inflammation reduces airflow to the lungs, often causing wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Bronchial asthma is an extremely common condition, affecting approximately 22 million people in the United States and more than 300 million worldwide.
There are many common asthma triggers. These include animal hair and dander, dust, mold and pollen, food additives, chemicals and tobacco smoke. Strong emotions, particularly stress, can also trigger asthma attacks. An asthmatic person is also more likely to suffer an attack when they have a respiratory infection. The size and nature of triggers varies from person to person; however sensitivity to a particular trigger can tend to run in families, just as asthma itself does.
When a person with asthma comes into contact with a trigger substance, they are likely to suffer an acute asthma attack. During such an attack, the immune system has an almost immediate reaction to the trigger substance. As a result of this immune reaction, the muscles in the airways contract strongly and the airways themselves begin to swell. Also, cells in the airways may start producing large amounts of mucus. All of these reactions serve to narrow the airways, making it more difficult to breathe.
As a result of studies examining the prevalence of asthma in identical and non-identical twin pairs, it is now known that bronchial asthma is partially genetically inherited. Furthermore, it appears that environmental factors also determine whether a given individual will develop asthma. Research suggests that if an individual has genes that increase susceptibility to asthma, those genes play the most important role in determining whether he or she will develop asthma. If genes are not present, environmental factors play a stronger role.
There are two main types of treatment for bronchial asthma: medications that are taken to reduce the frequency of asthma attacks and medications that can be used during an attack to reduce its severity. Preventive medications include corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and bronchodilators to help prevent airway muscles from contracting. Stronger versions of these drugs can be used during an attack to relieve acute asthma symptoms.
Bronchial asthma symptoms can be reduced in severity and frequency by avoiding known asthma triggers. Using hypoallergenic bedding can help people who are triggered by dust, for example, and avoiding chemical fumes, animal dander and mold, can help prevent chronic symptoms and acute asthma attacks. For children in particular, making sure the home is smoke-free is one of the most effective ways to reduce asthma symptoms.
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