|
Asthma attacks are usually caused by something that irritates the lungs.
These are called asthma triggers. There are 2 major categories of asthma triggers:
(1) allergens and (2) irritants.
If you, or a loved one has asthma, you need to learn which triggers are a problem.
Visit your physician. Your doctor may suggest keeping an asthma diary or recommend skin
testing for allergies.
Once you've identified the asthma triggers, you can take steps to
reduce and/or prevent
asthma attacks. Cutting down exposure to your triggers will reduce asthma attacks.
If the asthma attacks occur, they will probably be less severe.
|
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a lung disease that is potentially life threatening.
Asthma is a chronic, or long-term lung disease disease, which can be life threatening.
It can affect you for the rest of your life.
Asthma causes breathing problems. The airways in the lungs get blocked,
causing the lungs to get less air. Symptoms of an "asthma attack" can be difficulty
with breathing, a tight feeling in the chest, coughing and wheezing.
Asthma may develop quickly and it ranges from being a mild discomfort to a life-threatening attack
Asthma problems are often separated by symptom-free periods.
During An Asthma Attack ...
... 3 major changes that can take place in the lungs are:
- Cells in the air tubes make more mucus than normal. This mucus is very thick
and sticky, and tends to clog up the tubes.
- Cells in the airways get inflamed, causing the air tubes to swell.
- The muscles around the air tubes tighten.
These changes cause the air tubes to narrow which makes it hard to breathe.
When this happens, it's called asthma attacks or episodes of asthma.
|
There are many asthma triggers. Two main categories of triggers are allergens and irritants.
Allergens are substances that cause no problem for a majority of people but which
trigger an allergic reaction in some people.
During an allergy attack, the body releases
chemicals called mediators. These mediators often trigger asthma episodes.
Irritants such as cold air, cigarette smoke, industrial chemicals, perfume, and paint and
gasoline fumes can trigger asthma. These irritants probably trigger asthma symptoms by
stimulating irritant receptors in the respiratory tract. These receptors, in turn, cause the
muscles surrounding the airway to constrict, resulting in an asthma attack.
Here are some of the common indoor asthma triggers:
- Secondhand (cigarette) smoke
- Combustion by-products
- Molds
- Cockroaches
- Dust mites
- Pets and other animals with fur or feathers
- Pet Dander
- House dust
- Ozone
- Pollen (from trees, grass and weeds, flowers, etc)
Since most of us spend up to 90% of our time indoors, exposure to indoor allergens and
irritants do play a significant role in triggering asthma episodes.
If you or your loved ones have asthma,
what can you do?
Naturally, the first step is to visit your doctor and get his/her advice.
Then, take steps to reduce the common asthma triggers in your home with a
suitable air purifier to remove the allergens
and air pollutants.
|
