Asthma - The Natural Killer

Asthma, also known as the “Natural Killer”, is a long-term disease that makes breathing difficult. At its worst, asthma can be fatal. Each year, asthma kills 500 Canadians, and 554,000 Americans. Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be managed. With proper treatment, asthma victims can lead normal, active lives. Asthma causes wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, and feeling short of breath when you exercise. Asthma affects the respiratory system. A person with asthma has extra sensitive breathing passages when he or she is in a specific atmosphere. A person’s airways can become:

If a patient has asthma, or is thought of to have the disease, their airways are often described as "red and swollen". They quickly fill up with mucus and become inflamed making the airway passages narrow. As a result it becomes harder for the air to pass through and for the afflicted person to breathe. Another symptom of a patient with asthma is usually airway twitching. The muscles of the bronchial tube actually will twitch and go into spasm. Much like the aforementioned mucus making it difficult to breathe, the twitching of the bronchial tubes also makes the airways narrow and air difficult to pass through.

If you are very old, don't think you are immune to asthma or have dodged a bullet. A person of any age can acquire asthma, but it is most often diagnosed in children. Doctors know there are some things that make a person more vulnerable to asthma.  These things include family history, indoor and outdoor air-pollution, or second hand smoking. Asthma can also be an allergic reaction and treated the same way as any other allergy would.

About 17 million people in the US are affected by asthma. Doctors and researchers are still looking for a cure, or at least a better method of controlling this disease. If you have asthma and are having an attack, do not try to control it yourself if you cannot breathe with nebulizers and inhalers. If there is any doubt, the best advice is to call 911.