Asthma

Asthma is a controllable but incurable lung disease. The World Health Organisation estimate that there are about 150 million asthma sufferers around the globe, with the number increasing by about 50% every decade.

Certain environmental factors can cause people with asthma to have an attack. During an attack their lungs and airway become inflamed and narrow meaning breathing becomes difficult. The symptoms are often described as similar to taking in deep breaths of cold air during winter. Their breathing is often wheezy and may be accompanied by coughing.

Some of the common triggers for an asthma attack include:

• Allergens such as pollen, dust, mould and feathers.
• Irritants in the air like cigarette smoke or strong odours.
• Respiratory infections like cold, flu, sore throats and bronchitis.
• Excessive physical exertion.
• Emotional stress.
• Bad weather.
• Medication like aspirin and drugs used to treat glaucoma or high blood pressure.

The symptoms of an asthma attack include:

• Wheezing.
• Coughing pain.
• A tight feeling in the chest.
• Shortness of breath.
• Restlessness.

With the correct medication asthma attacks should be few and far between. People with asthma should also avoid any known triggers.

The symptoms of asthma vary in severity between individuals so the medication needs to be carefully tailored to suit individual need. There are 3 main types of treatment used for asthma:

• Bronchodilator drugs: Medication that provides temporary relief by relaxing and dilating the patient's airways if they have an attack.
• Anti-allergy drugs: Medication used to prevent an attack.
• Corticosteroids: Medication that reduces the swelling of the airways.

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