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ASTHMA Asthma narrows and clogs the airways in your lungs. If you have it, you can breathe normally most of the time, but not during an asthma attack, when tiny airways called bronchial tubes swell and fill with mucus. Then you will cough, wheeze, and have trouble breathing. Attacks can come on fast. They may last only a few minutes but usually go on for hours, or even a day or longer. In a severe attack, the airways become so narrow and clogged that breathing is nearly impossible. Then you need emergency treatment. Without prompt medical help, severe asthma can be fatal. Most people, however, can control their asthma by staying away from things that trigger it and by taking medications their doctors prescribe. Asthma is a chronic disease. That means you may have it the rest of your life, with symptoms that can come and go. Anyone can get it, although it seems more common and more serious among African American children than others. Asthma also runs in families. If a close relative has it, you are more likely to have it. About 15 million Americans have asthma, almost 5 million of them children under 18. It's the number one cause of children missing school and of children going to the hospital. Many seem to outgrow the illness, but it sometimes returns in adulthood. In the past 20 years the number of people who have asthma has almost doubled. Experts aren't sure why, but they think this may be the result of greater air pollution or more people working in closed buildings with poor ventilation. If you have asthma, you'll have to make some changes-for example, learning about the early signs of an attack. Once you know how to manage it, chances are you can live normally. In fact, many world-class athletes, including Olympic gold medalists, have asthma. Asthma in Adulthood: Symptoms Different people have different combinations of symptoms. Mild or moderate asthma attack Coughing. A feeling of tightness in the chest. Noisy breathing (wheezing). Shortness of breath. Severe attack Rapid, shallow breathing. Trouble speaking because of rapid breathing. A racing pulse. Fatigue. Panic. These symptoms may all come from conditions other than asthma-for example, pneumonia, bronchitis, croup, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even heart disease. Your doctor will make a diagnosis based on your symptoms and by ruling out other problems. The doctor will probably test your pulmonary function-ability to breathe in and out-using a peak flow meter. This test shows how severe your asthma is. You and your doctor together will try to find the cause of your attacks. If it's an allergy, a skin test for allergens-substances that cause allergies-can show what you need to avoid. The doctor or nurse will scratch drops of liquid containing various allergens into your skin. If you're allergic to something in one of the drops, a small welt will appear at that spot. If your asthma doesn't seem to be caused by anything in the skin test, then you and your doctor will look for other triggers in your home or workplace. |