FACTS ABOUT ASTHMA
What Is Asthma?
Asthma is a lung disease
that can be life threatening. It is a chronic, or
long-term disease, which 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 than normal. Symptoms of an "asthma attack" can
be difficulty with breathing, a tight feeling in the chest, coughing and
wheezing. Asthma can develop quickly and it can range from being a mild
discomfort to a life-threatening attack if breathing stops completely.
Asthma problems are often separated by symptom-free periods.
What Happens In An Asthma Attack?
When asthma causes
breathing problems, the breathing problems are called asthma attacks or
episodes of asthma.
During an asthma attack,
three major changes that can take place in the lungs include:
1.
Cells in the air tubes make more mucus than normal. This mucus is
very thick and sticky, and tends to clog up the tubes.
2.
Cells in the airways get inflamed, causing the air tubes to swell.
3.
The muscles around the air tubes tighten.
These changes cause the
air tubes to narrow which makes it hard to breathe.
Who Gets Asthma?
In the United States,
about 15 million people of all age, race, and nationality have asthma.
Asthma can occur at any
age but is more common in children than adults.
Nearly 1
in 13 school-age children has asthma, and that rate is rising more rapidly
in preschool-aged children than in any other group. Asthma is the leading
cause of school absenteeism due to a chronic illness.
The impact of asthma
falls disproportionately on African-American and certain Hispanic
populations and appears to be particularly severe in urban inner cities.
Many cases of asthma
likely go undiagnosed.
How Are Children Affected By Asthma?
Asthma is
the most common long-term childhood disease, affecting 4.8 million
children. Nearly 1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma, and the
percentage of children with asthma is rising more rapidly in
preschool-aged children than in any other age group.
Asthma
accounts for one-third of all pediatric emergency room visits and is the
fourth most common cause for physician office visits. Asthma is one of the
leading causes of school absenteeism, accounting for over 10 million
missed school days per year. Asthma also accounts for many nights of
interrupted sleep, limitation of activity, and disruptions of family and
care-giver routines. Asthma symptoms that are not severe enough to require
a visit to an emergency room or to a physician can still be severe enough
to prevent a child with asthma from living a fully active life.
Children
breathe more air, eat more food, and drink more liquid in proportion to
their body weight than do adults. Their developing bodies may be more
susceptible to environmental exposures than those of adults. In a typical
day, children may be exposed to a wide array of environmental agents at
home, in day care centers, schools and while playing outdoors.
What Triggers Asthma Attacks?
Asthma
attacks can be caused by something that bothers the lungs. These are
called asthma triggers. There are many kinds of asthma triggers. Two major
categories of asthma triggers are allergens and irritants.
If you,
or a loved one has asthma, it's important to learn which triggers are a
problem. Ask your doctor to help. Your doctor may suggest keeping an
asthma diary or recommend skin testing for allergies.
Once
asthma triggers are known, actions can be taken to prevent asthma attacks.
Cutting down exposure to your triggers may help in avoiding asthma
attacks. When attacks occur, they will probably be less severe.
About Asthma Triggers
There are
many asthma triggers. Two large 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.
Viral
infections are the leading cause of acute asthma attacks. Surprisingly,
bacterial infections, with the exception of sinusitis, generally do not
bring about asthma attacks.
Since
Americans spend up to 90% of their time indoors, exposure to indoor
allergens and irritants may play a significant role in triggering asthma
episodes.
The following is a list
of some of the indoor environmental asthma triggers:
Information on some
additional triggers available on this website includes:
-
Ozone
-
Pollen
-
House Dust
-
Combustion By-Products
Office of Air and Radiation,
Office of Radiation and Indoor Air,
Indoor Environments Division (6609J)
EPA # 402-K-00-003, May 2000
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