Monday, October 18, 2010

Asthma in Teens and Adults

What is asthma?

Asthma causes swelling and inflammationClick here for a picture. in the airways, leading to your lungs. When asthma exacerbations, the airways tighten and become smaller. This keeps the air by using easy and makes it difficult for you to breathe. This flare-ups are also known as asthma attacks or exacerbations.

Asthma affects people in different ways. Some people only have asthma attacks during allergy season or when they breathe in the cold air, or when they exercise. Others have many bad attacks that send to the doctor frequently.

Even if you have little asthma attacks, you have yet to treat your asthma. The swelling and inflammation in the airways can lead to permanent changes in your airways and damage to your lungs.

Many people with asthma active life, full of life. Although asthma is a lifelong disease, treatment can control it and keep you healthy.
What are the causes of asthma?

Experts do not know exactly what the causes of asthma. But there are some things we do know:

* Asthma runs in families.
* Asthma is much more common in people with allergies, although not everyone with asthma, allergies. And not everybody with asthma have allergies.
* Pollution can cause asthma or make it worse.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms of asthma can be mild or severe. You may have a mild attacks now and then, if you have severe symptoms every day, whether you have something in between. How often you have the symptoms may also change. If your asthma, you may:

* Wheeze, making a loud or soft whistling sound that occurs when you breathe in and out.
* Cough much.
* Feel tightness in the chest.
* Feel short of breath.
* Do you have trouble sleeping because of coughing or having a hard time breathing.
* Quick tired during the exercise.

Your symptoms may worsen at night.

Severe asthma attacks can be life threatening and should urgently needed care.
How is the diagnosis asthma?

Along with doing a physical exam and questions about your health, your doctor for lung function tests. These tests include:

* Spirometrie. Doctors use this test to diagnose and keep asthma. It measures how fast you can move and in the air from your lungs and how much air you move.
* Peak expiratory flow (PEF). This shows how fast you can exhale as your hardest.
* An exercise or inhalation challenge. This test measures how fast you can breathe after exercise or after taking a medicine.
* A chest x-ray to see if another disease is the cause of your symptoms.
* Anti-tests, if your doctor thinks that your symptoms may be caused by allergies.

You should routinely check with your doctor to keep track of your asthma and decide on treatment.
How is it treated?

There are two parts to the treatment of asthma. The objectives are:

* Control of asthma in the long term. To do this, use a daily treatment of asthma. This is a written plan that tells you what medication to take. It also helps you know your symptoms and how well the treatment works. Many people take controller medicine-usually an inhaled corticosteroid each day. Taking medication for each day helps to reduce the swelling of the airways and preventing attacks. Your doctor will show you how to use your inhaler correctly. This is very important, so you the correct amount of medicine to help you breathe better.
* Treatment of asthma attacks when they occur. Use an asthma action plan that tells you what to do if you have an asthma attack. It helps you to identify triggers that can cause your attacks. You make use of rescue medicine, such as albuterol, during an attack.

If you need to use the rescue inhaler more frequently than normal, talk to your doctor. This is a sign that your asthma is not controlled and can cause problems.

Asthma attacks can be life threatening, but you could avoid them if you have a plan. Your doctor can learn the skills that you need to use your asthma treatment and action plans.
How can you prevent asthma attacks?

You can prevent some asthma attacks by avoiding those things that they cause. These are called triggers. A trigger can be:

* Prikkelende in the air, such as cigarette smoke or other air pollution. Do not smoke, and try to avoid being the other if they smoke.
* What you are allergic to, such as pet dander, dust mites, cockroaches, or pollen. If you can, to prevent these things you are allergic to. It can also help in taking certain types of allergy medicine.
* Exercise. Ask your doctor about the use of an inhaler before you exercise if this is a trigger for you.
* Other things like dry, cold air, an infection, or some medicines such as aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Try not to use outside as the cold and dry. Talk to your doctor about vaccines to prevent certain infections, and questions about the medicines you should avoid.

Sometimes you do not know what triggers an asthma attack. Therefore it is important to have an asthma action plan that tells you what to do during an attack.

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