What is Asthma?
Asthma is one of the most common lung illnesses in the world today.It affects one in ten children (10%) and one in twenty adults (5%). Asthma cannot be cured but can be kept under control so that those affected are able to live normal lives enjoying full involvement in sport and all other activities
What happens to the lungs in asthma?
Asthma affects the breathing tubes called airways or bronchi. When we breathe in, air passes through the voice-box and down the wind-pipe. The wind-pipe branches into the two main bronchi which take air into the two lungs. These bronchi then divide further and further, becoming smaller and smaller as they take air deeper into the lungs to the point where oxygen passes into the blood- stream.
In asthma, narrowing of the bronchi is caused by:
- swelling of the lining
- increased sticky secretions lying in the airways. The swelling and increased secretions are called inflammation.
- muscles going into spasm. Spasm occurs only when there is inflammation.
Symptoms of an asthma attack are:
- cough which often occurs more frequently at night and with activity.
- wheezing which is a whistling noise in the chest
- tightness of the chest with breathing difficulty
- shortness of breath, especially after exercise
Asthma can be controlled!
Medicines that are used regularly, whether symptoms are present or not are called controllers (sometimes preventers). Controllers work by reducing the swelling, mucus and muscle tightening around the airways. In addition, but not in place of controllers, your doctor will give you a reliever treatment to use when you need to. Relievers are the emergency treatment to open up your airways when they are even tighter / more closed than usual. They help to make you feel better for a short while, but they do not treat the underlying inflammation.
The way you use your medicines will influence whether they work or not. Regular controller treatment must be taken every day, whether you feel ill or whether you feel well. This is because controller treatment works by preventing asthma attacks. If you are using an asthma pump, you may need to use a spacer device and must always check your technique of using the pump with your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.
More information on asthma
More information on asthmacan be found on our patient information sheets. These can be downloaded for free here, or hard copies ordered from us at “order educational materials”
