World Asthma Day (May 7th), organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA), is dedicated to shining a light on asthma and the people who experience it. This year’s theme is “Asthma Education Empowers,” which was selected to encourage people with asthma to manage their disease and recognize when to seek medical help. In the spirit of World Asthma Day, let’s define asthma and its symptoms and treatment options.
What Is Asthma?
Without asthma, the muscles surrounding your airways remain relaxed, allowing air to move easily. During an asthma attack, the muscles around the airways constrict, the tissue becomes inflamed and your body creates more mucus, blocking free airflow. You can identify an asthma attack by wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.
Asthma is categorized based on the cause and severity of symptoms:
- Intermittent. With intermittent asthma, you will have normal breathing between asthma flares.
- Persistent. With intermittent asthma, you may experience mild, moderate or severe symptoms most of the time.
How is Asthma Treated?
Asthma affects more than 25 million people in the United States, including five million children. Because there is no known cure for asthma, treatment tends to focus on controlling and minimizing symptoms through one or more of the following options:
- Bronchodilators. Bronchodilators relax the muscles around your airways, allowing air and mucus to move more freely. Available in nebulizers or inhalers, patients use bronchodilators when they have severe asthma attacks, which require immediate medical attention.
- Anti-inflammatory medicines. Anti-inflammatory medicines reduce swelling and production in the airways, allowing air to enter and exit the lungs. Your provider may recommend daily medication to help prevent chronic asthma symptoms.
- Reduce trigger exposure. Identifying and avoiding your asthma triggers are essential steps in reducing the frequency of your attacks. Asthma triggers are different for each patient. Some triggers may cause an attack immediately, while others may experience symptoms hours or days later. Common triggers include air pollution, dust mites, exercise, mold, pests, pets, strong chemicals and tobacco smoke.
To learn more about managing Asthma in honor of World Asthma Day, call the experts at Midwest Allergy & Asthma today.