What
Asthma Is
Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs. It is the most common
long-term disease of children. It causes repeated episodes of wheezing,
breathlessness, chest tightness, and nighttime or early morning
coughing. It is with you all the time, but you may have asthma attacks
only when something bothers your lungs.
We know that family
history contributes to susceptibility, but in most cases we don’t know
what causes asthma to develop, and we don’t know how to cure asthma. You
can control your asthma by knowing the warning signs of an attack,
avoiding things that trigger an attack, and following the advice of your
doctor. When you control your asthma, you won’t have symptoms like
wheezing or coughing, you’ll sleep better, you won’t miss work or
school, you’ll be able to take part in all physical activities, and you
won’t have to visit the hospital.
Effects of Asthma
In 2001, 20.3 million Americans had asthma, and 12 million had had
an asthma attack in the previous year. If a person has a parent with
asthma, he or she is three to six times more likely to develop asthma
than is a person who does not have a parent with asthma.
How Asthma Is
Diagnosed
Asthma can be difficult to diagnose, especially in children under 5
years old. Regular physical exams that include checks of lung function
and for allergies can help make the right diagnosis.
A health-care
provider trying to diagnose asthma will ask you questions about
coughing, especially coughing at night, and whether breathing problems
are worse after physical activity or during a particular time of year.
Providers also ask about other symptoms, such as chest tightness,
wheezing, and colds that last more than 10 days.
Also, a provider will
ask about your family history of asthma, allergy and other breathing
problems, and your home environment. He or she also will ask about lost
school or work days and limits on your activity.
Testing of lung
function, called spirometry, is another way to diagnose asthma. A
spirometer is a piece of equipment that measures the largest amount of
air you can exhale after taking a very deep breath. Airflow can be
measured before and after you use an asthma medication.
What An Asthma
Attack Is
Airways are the paths that carry air to the lungs. As the air moves
through the lungs, the airways become smaller, like branches of a tree.
During an attack, the sides of the airways in your lungs become inflamed
and swollen. Muscles around the airways tighten, and less air passes in
and out of the lungs. Excess mucus forms in the airways, clogging them
even more. The attack, also called an episode, can include coughing,
chest tightness, wheezing, and trouble breathing.
Causes Of An
Asthma Attack
Environmental exposures, such as house dust mites and environmental
tobacco smoke, are important triggers of an attack. Some of these
triggers are listed in the box below.
How Asthma Is
Treated
You can control your asthma and avoid an attack by taking your
medicine as prescribed and avoiding the triggers that can cause an
attack. It’s just as important that you remove the triggers in your
environment that you know make your asthma worse.
Medicine for asthma
is different for each person. It can be inhaled or taken as a pill and
comes in two types—quick-relief and long-term control. Quick-relief
medicines control the symptoms of an asthma attack. If you are using
your quick-relief medicines more and more you should visit your
health-care provider to change your asthma management plan. Long-term
control medicines make you have fewer and milder attacks, but they don’t
help you if you’re having an attack.
Asthma medicine can
have side effects. Most are mild and go away on their own. Ask your
health-care provider about the side effects of your medicines.
The important thing
to remember is that you can control your asthma. With your health-care
provider’s help, make your own asthma management plan so you know what
to do based on your own symptoms. Decide who should have a copy of your
plan and where he or she should keep it. You can learn more about asthma
management plans from the American Lung Association (http://www.lungusa.org/asthma/index.html).
And remember to take your long-term control medicine even when you don’t
have symptoms.
Environmental Tobacco Smoke, Also Known As
Secondhand Smoke
Parents, friends, and relatives of children with
asthma should try to stop smoking. Until they can successfully quit,
they should smoke only outdoors, not in the home or in the family
car. They should not allow others to smoke in the home, and should
make sure the child's school is smoke-free. |
Dust Mites
Mattress covers and pillow case covers provide a barrier between
house dust mites and the person with asthma. Down-filled pillows,
quilts, or comforters should not be used and stuffed animals and
clutter should be removed from bedrooms. |
Outdoor Air Pollution
Pollution caused by industrial emissions and automobile exhaust can
cause an asthma episode. In large cities that have air pollution
problems the number of emergency department visits for asthma
episodes goes up when the air quality is very poor. |
Cockroach Allergen
You may find cockroaches any place where food is eaten and crumbs
are left behind. Decreasing exposure to cockroaches in the home can
help reduce asthma attacks. Remove as many water and food sources as
you can because cockroaches need food and water to survive. Vacuum
or sweep these areas at least every 2-3 days. You can also use roach
traps or gels to decrease the number of cockroaches in your home. |
Pets
Furry pets may trigger an attack. The simplest solution to this
situation is to find another home for the pet. However, some pet
owners may be too attached to their pets or unable to locate a safe
new home for the animal. Any animal causing an allergic reaction
should not be allowed in the bedroom. Pets should be kept outside as
much as possible and bathed weekly. People with asthma are not
allergic to their pet’s fur, so trimming the pet’s fur will not help
your asthma. Frequent vacuuming will reduce the presence of the
allergen. If the room has a hard surface floor, it should be damp
mopped weekly. |
Mold
When mold is inhaled, it can cause asthma attacks. Eliminating mold
throughout the home can help control asthma attacks. Keep humidity
levels between 35% and 50%. In hot, humid climates, this may require
the use of air conditioning and/or dehumidifiers. Fixing water leaks
and cleaning up any mold in the home can also help. |
Other Triggers
Strenuous physical exercise; adverse weather conditions like
freezing temperatures, high humidity, and thunderstorms; and some
foods and food additives and drugs can trigger asthma episodes.
Strong emotional states also can lead to hyperventilation and an
asthma episode. People with asthma should learn if these things
trigger their episodes and avoid them when possible. |
For more
information, please contact:
CDC/National Center for Environmental Health
Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects
Phone: 1-888-232-6789; E-mail:
EHHEinq@cdc.gov Web site:
http://www.cdc.gov/asthma
|