Asthma Causes And Symptoms

Asthma Causes

The exact cause of asthma is not known.

• What all people with asthma have in common is chronic airway inflammation and excessive airway sensitivity to various triggers.



• Research has focused on why some people develop asthma while others do not.



• Some people are born with the tendency to have asthma, while others are not. Scientists are trying to find the genes that cause this tendency.



• The environment you live in and the way you live partly determine whether you have asthma attacks.

An asthma attack is a reaction to a trigger. It is similar in many ways to an allergic reaction.

• An allergic reaction is a response by the body's immune system to an "invader."



• When the cells of the immune system sense an invader, they set off a series of reactions that help fight off the invader.



• It is this series of reactions that causes the production of mucus and bronchospasms. These responses cause the symptoms of an asthma attack.



• In asthma, the "invaders" are the triggers listed below. Triggers vary among individuals.



• Because asthma is a type of allergic reaction, it is sometimes called reactive airway disease.

Each person with asthma has his or her own unique set of triggers. Most triggers cause attacks in some people with asthma and not in others. Common triggers of asthma attacks are the following:

• exposure to tobacco or wood smoke,



• breathing polluted air,



• inhaling other respiratory irritants such as perfumes or cleaning products,



• exposure to airway irritants at the workplace,



• breathing in allergy-causing substances (allergens) such as molds, dust, or animal dander,



• an upper respiratory infection, such as a cold, flu, sinusitis, or bronchitis,



• exposure to cold, dry weather,



• emotional excitement or stress,



• physical exertion or exercise,



• reflux of stomach acid known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD,



• sulfites, an additive to some foods and wine, and



• menstruation: In some, not all, women, asthma symptoms are closely tied to the menstrual cycle.

Risk factors for developing asthma:

• hay fever (allergic rhinitis) and other allergies -- this is the single biggest risk factor;



• eczema: another type of allergy affecting the skin; and



• genetic predisposition: a parent, brother, or sister also has asthma.

Asthma Symptoms

When the breathing passages become irritated or infected, an attack is triggered. The attack may come on suddenly or develop slowly over several days or hours. The main symptoms that signal an attack are as follows:

• wheezing,



• breathlessness,



• chest tightness,



• coughing, and



• difficulty speaking.

Symptoms may occur during the day or at night. If they happen at night, they may disturb your sleep.

Wheezing is the most common symptom of an asthma attack.

• Wheezing is a musical, whistling, or hissing sound with breathing.



• Wheezes are most often heard during exhalation, but they can occur during breathing in (inhaling).



• Not all asthmatics wheeze, and not all people who wheeze are asthmatics.

Current guidelines for the care of people with asthma include classifying the severity of asthma symptoms, as follows:

• Mild intermittent: This includes attacks no more than twice a week and nighttime attacks no more than twice a month. Attacks last no more than a few hours to days. Severity of attacks varies, but there are no symptoms between attacks.



• Mild persistent: This includes attacks more than twice a week, but not every day, and nighttime symptoms more than twice a month. Attacks are sometimes severe enough to interrupt regular activities.



• Moderate persistent: This includes daily attacks and nighttime symptoms more than once a week. More severe attacks occur at least twice a week and may last for days. Attacks require daily use of quick-relief (rescue) medication and changes in daily activities.



• Severe persistent: This includes frequent severe attacks, continual daytime symptoms, and frequent nighttime symptoms. Symptoms require limits on daily activities.

Just because a person has mild or moderate asthma does not mean that he or she cannot have a severe attack. The severity of asthma can change over time, either for better or for worse.

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