ASTHMA...WRITTEN BY OPEOLUWA KOFOWOROLA ADETOLA

Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways. Your airways are tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways become sore and swollen. That makes them very sensitive, and they may react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating. When your airways react, they get narrower and your lungs get less air. This can cause wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and trouble breathing, especially early in the morning or at night. 

When your asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it's called an asthma attack. In a severe asthma attack, the airways can close so much that your vital organs do not get enough oxygen. People can die from severe asthma attacks. 

• Asthma is not a psychological condition. However, emotional triggers can cause flare-ups. 

• You cannot outgrow asthma. In about 50% of children with asthma, the condition may become inactive in the teenage years. The symptoms, however, may reoccur anytime in adulthood. 

• There is no cure for asthma, but the disease can be controlled in most patients with good medical care. The condition should be taken seriously, since uncontrolled asthma may result in emergency hospitalization and possible death. 

• You have a 6% chance of having asthma if neither parent has the condition, a 30% chance if one parent has it, and a 70% chance if both parents have it. 

• Asthma is not contagious. 

• A new environment may temporarily improve asthma symptoms, but it will not cure asthma. After a few years in the new location, many people become sensitized to the new environment and the asthma symptoms return with the same or even greater intensity than before. 

• swimming is an optimal exercise for those with asthma. On the other hand, exercising in dry, cold air may be a trigger for asthma in some people. 

• Asthma is best controlled by having an asthma management plan designed by your doctor that includes the medications used for quick relief and those used as controllers. 

• Asthma medications are not addictive. 

• Asthma attacks cannot be faked. In rare cases, there is a psychological condition known by a variety of names (factious asthma, spastic dysphonia, globus hystericus) where emotional issues may cause symptoms that mimic the symptoms of asthma.

Typical Asthma Symptoms and Signs
The symptoms of asthma vary from person to person and in any individual from time to time. It is important to remember that many of these symptoms can be subtle and similar to those seen in other conditions. All of the symptoms mentioned below can be present in other respiratory, and sometimes, in heart conditions. This potential confusion makes identifying the settings in which the symptoms occur and diagnostic testing very important in recognizing this disorder.

The following are the four major recognized asthma symptoms:
• Shortness of breath, especially with exertion or at night
• Wheezing is a whistling or hissing sound when breathing out
• Coughing may be chronic, is usually worse at night and early morning, and may occur after exercise or when exposed to cold, dry air
• Chest tightness may occur with or without the above symptoms 

Allergies Can Cause Asthma
Allergies with asthma is a common problem. Eighty percent of people with asthma have allergies to airborne substances such as tree, grass, and weed pollens, mold, animal dander, dust mites, and cockroach particles. In one study, children who had high levels of cockroach droppings in their homes were four times more likely to have childhood asthma than children whose homes had low levels. Asthma exacerbation after dust exposure is usually due to dust mite allergy.

Food and Food Additives Trigger Asthma
While it's not common for food allergies to cause asthma, food allergies can cause a severe life-threatening reaction. The most common foods associated with allergic symptoms are:
• Eggs
• Cow's milk
• Peanuts
• Soy
• Wheat
• Fish
• Shrimp and other shellfish
• Salads & fresh fruits
Food preservatives can also trigger asthma. Sulfite additives, such as sodium bisulfite, potassium bisulfite, sodium metabisulfite, potassium metabisulfite, and sodium sulfite, are commonly used in food processing or preparation and may trigger asthma in those people who are sensitive.

Asthma medications
Asthma medication plays a key role in gaining good control of your condition. Asthma is a chronic disease that involves inflammation of the airways superimposed with recurrent episodes of decreased airflow, mucus production, and symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and cough. Controlling your asthma is crucial in avoiding asthma attacks and living an active life.

Treatment with asthma medication focuses on:
• Controlling inflammation and preventing symptoms (controller medication) 

• Easing asthma symptoms when a flare-up occurs (quick-relief medication)

There are two general types of asthma medication which can give you long-term control or quick relief of symptoms.
• Controller Medication. This is the most important type of therapy for most people with asthma because these asthma medications prevent asthma attacks on an ongoing basis. As a result of controller medications, airways are less inflamed and less likely to react to triggers. Steroids, also called "corticosteroids," are an important type of anti-inflammatory medication for people suffering from asthma. These asthma drugs reduce inflammation, swelling, and mucus production in the airways. Some people may combine use of an inhaled steroid with an inhaled long-acting beta-agonist (LABA). LABAs help keep airways open by relaxing the muscles around the airways. They should only be used along with an inhaled steroid for the treatment of asthma. Leukotriene modifiers are also used to control asthma and prevent symptoms. They target inflammatory chemicals in the body that lead to swelling of the airways and mucus production. 

• Quick Relief Medication. These asthma medications are also called rescue medications and consist of short-acting beta-agonists (SABA). They relieve the symptoms of asthma by relaxing the muscles that tighten around the airways. This action rapidly opens the airways, letting more air come in and out of the lungs. As a result, breathing improves. Using these as a rescue medication more than twice a week indicates that your asthma is not well controlled. SABAs are also used prior to exercise to prevent symptoms in people who have exercise-induced asthma. 

These asthma drugs can be administered in different ways. Successful treatment should allow you to live an active and normal life. If your asthma symptoms are not controlled, you should contact your doctor for advice and look at a different asthma medication that may work better for you.