During an asthma attack, one feels a constant obstruction to free breathing. This is usually due to hypersensitivity of the airways that respond to stimulation such as irritants. This condition will usually be most severe during childhood. However, these symptoms can be limited by using an inhaler.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a disease of the respiratory tract in which attacks of shortness of breath can occur, making breathing difficult. The disease will usually reach its peak in childhood. Later in life, this condition will become more chronic and asthma attacks can drastically reduce or even disappear.

Symptoms of Asthma

In addition to the tight feeling in the chest and the difficulty in breathing, this will usually also be accompanied by severe coughing and wheezing. The severity and quantity of these attacks will vary from person to person. An asthma attack can last from several minutes to hours. The mucous membrane also swells, causing a lot of mucus to be produced, which is released by heavy coughing.

Cause of Asthma

Heredity already plays a major role in the causal factors. Asthma is due to increased sensitive stimuli in the airways that cause little or no response in others: cold, stress, smoke, strong odors, pollen, etc. are all kinds of factors that can cause a chronic inflammatory response. Also one of the major causes that make asthma worse is dust mites, an invisible small animal that lives in upholstered furniture, mattresses and pillows that feed on human skin flakes.What you should especially avoid if you suffer from asthma:

• Too much exercise makes you short of breath
• As little stress or anxiety as possible
• Avoiding irritants such as tobacco smoke, exhaust fumes, pollen, animal hair, etc.
• Keep your home as free from dust mites as possible by ventilating it as much as possible and regularly shaking out and washing sheets, blankets and pillows thoroughly.
• In hot weather, dry air, it is recommended to exert as little effort as possible

Treatment of asthma

When asthma has been diagnosed by a doctor, he or she will usually prescribe an inhalant to open the airways. Visit the supervising doctor regularly to monitor your asthma. Through thorough research one can find out which factors play a role in an asthmatic attack and use these to prevent it from happening in the future.

Asthma in babies

If your baby catches a cold quickly and is wheezing, you may wonder if this is the cause of asthma. It is more difficult to diagnose asthma in infants than in older children and adults. A common condition that mimics asthma in infants is bronchitis. Babies are affected more often since their airways are so small and block more easily. Have wheezing closely monitored by a GP or lung specialist.