Asthma: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

                                                                   Asthma: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment 

Asthma is a  condition in which a person's airways become inflamed, narrow and swell and produce extra mucus, which makes it difficult to breathe.Asthma can be minor or it can interfere with daily activities. In some cases, it may lead to a life-threatening attack. Asthma may cause difficulty breathing, chest pain, cough and wheezing. The symptoms may sometimes flare up. Asthma can usually be managed with rescue inhalers to treat symptoms and controller inhalers that prevent symptoms. Severe cases may require longer-acting inhalers that keep the airways open, as well as oral steroids.

Below are the Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of Asthma

Causes:

Many factors have been linked to an increased risk of developing asthma, although it is often difficult to find a single, direct cause.

• Asthma is more likely if other family members also have asthma – particularly a close relative, such as a parent or sibling.
• Asthma is more likely in people who have other allergic conditions, such as eczema and rhinitis (hay fever).
• Urbanization is associated with increased asthma prevalence, probably due to multiple lifestyle factors.
• Events in early life affect the developing lungs and can increase the risk of asthma. These include low birth weight, prematurity, exposure to tobacco smoke and other sources of air pollution, as well as viral respiratory infections.
• Exposure to a range of environmental allergens and irritants are also thought to increase the risk of asthma, including indoor and outdoor air pollution, house dust mites, moulds, and occupational exposure to chemicals, fumes or dust.

Symptoms 

• Airway blockage. When you breathe as usual, the bands of muscle around your airways are relaxed, and air moves freely. But when you have asthma, the muscles tighten. It’s harder for air to pass through.
• Inflammation. Asthma causes red, swollen bronchial tubes in your lungs. This inflammation can damage your lungs. Treating this is key to managing asthma in the long run.
• Airway irritability. People with asthma have sensitive airways that tend to overreact and narrow when they come into contact with even slight triggers.

Treatment

Many asthma treatments can ease your symptoms. Your doctor will work with you to make an asthma action plan that will outline your treatment and medications. They might include:

• Inhaled corticosteroids. These medications treat asthma in the long term. That means you’ll take them every day to keep your asthma under control. They prevent and ease swelling inside your airways, and they may help your body make less mucus. You’ll use a device called an inhaler to get the medicine into your lungs.
  
  
• Leukotriene modifiers. Another long-term asthma treatment, these medications block leukotrienes, things in your body that trigger an asthma attack. 

• Long-acting beta-agonists. These medications relax the muscle bands that surround your airways.

• Combination inhaler. This device gives you an inhaled corticosteroid and a long-acting beta-agonist together to ease your asthma.

• Theophylline. It opens your airways and eases tightness in your chest. You take this long-term medication by mouth, either by itself or with an inhaled corticosteroid.

Sources: Mayo Clinic, webmd.com, WHO