Asthma: Understanding the Disease and Recognising the Symptoms

Short of breath? Hungry for air? Hacking cough that refuses to go away? Watch out! These can be the warning signs of asthma.

What is asthma?
Simply put, asthma (pronounced AZ-ma) is the difficulty or inability to breath. In medical terms, asthma is a chronic (long term) lung disease characterised by inflammation (swelling) and narrowing of the airway resulting in wheezing (a whistling sound that comes out on breathing), shortness of breath, chest tightness and coughing.

Signs and symptoms of asthma:

The signs and symptoms of asthma can be divided into warning and classical signs. Warning signs:

Increased night time cough Cough or wheezing with physical activity Worsening of allergy symptoms like persistent runny nose, dark under eye circles and itchy or inflamed skin. Nasal flaring, rapid pulse and sweating

Classical signs:

Hacking cough. Coughing in asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning, making it difficult to sleep. Wheezing. It is a musical, whistling or squeaky sound that can be heard when the patient breaths.

Tightness of chest. Feeling like something is squeezing or sitting on the chest. Shortness of breath. Patients fail to catch their breath or they feel out of breath/breathless upon physical activity. In severe cases, bluish discoloration of the lips or face is seen because of decreased oxygen in blood. Retraction of intercostal spaces

Causes of asthma:
Like several other diseases, the exact cause of asthma is still unknown (idiopathic). The factors that can be held responsible for initiating, maintaining, and altering immunity which eventually leads to chronic asthma can be:

Atopy, an inherited tendency to develop allergies Genetic or hereditary factors Environmental factors such as pollution and pollen Mental stress Internal allergens like house dust mites, cockroaches, cats or dogs Irritants like tobacco, smoke or perfumes Certain respiratory infections during childhood Some non-steroidal and anti-inflammatory medicines Cold, windy and humid weather conditions Food allergies

Triggers: A trigger is anything that irritates the lungs airway and causes symptoms of asthma. Although there can be innumerable triggers and they vary from individual to individual, there are some common culprits that should be stayed away from if you have a tendency towads respiratory diseases. These triggers can be house dust mites, tobacco smoke, sulphur, chemical irritants like coal, cement, asbestos, paint, mining, sugar, pesticides, air pollution and allergens like pollens. Laughing and crying or a sudden change in weather are also potential triggers.

Treatment of asthma:
Although asthma cannot be completely cured, thankfully it can be successfully managed and controlled. Asthma treatment and management usually involves:

Avoiding asthma triggers and environmental control. Medication (bronchodilators) to open lung airway and reduce the inflammation in the airway lining. These are usually inhaled corticosteroids. Education and an action plan to understand the disease better and act appropriately at the time of an asthma attack.

Prevention of asthma:
There can be several triggers that can set off an asthma attack but one can protect onself by using appropriate prevention techniques such as:

Being prepared in case an asthma attack occurs Identifying and avoiding asthma triggers and taking preventive measures Treating attacks at the earliest Taking prescribed medication correctly and regularly