Asthma

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that that affects your airways, which are tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.

Asthma affects people of all ages, but it usually starts during childhood.

If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways become sore and swollen. This inflammation makes them sensitive, and then they react to minor irritations or allergens. This reaction causes the airways to get narrower and your lungs get less air. The muscles around the airways can also tighten when something triggers your symptoms.

Sometimes, asthma symptoms are triggered by physical activity. Some otherwise healthy people can develop asthma symptoms only when exercising. This is called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB) or exercise-induced asthma (EIA). However, staying active is an important way to stay healthy, so asthma should not prevent you from exercising or participating in sports. Your physician can develop a management plan to help you control your symptoms before, during, and after physical activity.

People with a family history of allergies or asthma are more prone to developing asthma. Many people with asthma also have allergies. This is called allergic asthma. Occupational asthma is caused by inhaling fumes, gases, dust or other potentially harmful substances while on the job.

Asthma is treated with 2 kinds of medicines: quick-relief medicines to stop asthma symptoms and long-term control medicines to prevent symptoms. There is no cure for asthma, but once it is properly diagnosed and a treatment plan is in place you will be able to manage your condition, and your quality of life will improve.

The exact cause of asthma is not known. Genetic and environmental factors likely interact to cause asthma, most often early in life. These factors include:

• An inherited tendency to develop allergies, called atopy
• Parents who have asthma
• Certain respiratory infections during childhood
• Contact with some airborne allergens or exposure to some viral infections in infancy or in early childhood when the immune system is developing

If asthma or atopy runs in your family, exposure to irritants (for example, tobacco smoke) may make your airways more reactive to substances in the air.

See your doctor if you need your rescue inhaler more than twice a week or symptoms disturb your sleep. Get emergency help if a rescue inhaler does not relieve severe shortness of breath, or if your lips or fingernails turn blue.