Understanding Asthma Attacks
It seems like asthma is becoming ever more prevalent these days. No doubt you’ve heard about it. But if you’ve never experienced an asthma attack, you probably don’t know what goes on during one. If you’ve just been diagnosed with the condition, here are some facts you should know.
Symptoms of an asthma attack include shortness of breath, coughing and a wheezing or whistling sound in your chest. This is a severe condition, and can be fatal if you don’t learn to manage it.
What causes an asthma attack? It can vary depending on the individual. Well known triggers include allergic substances like pollen, dust, environmental pollution, chemicals and smoke. In fact, allergies and asthma are very closely related. There are also other factors that can set off an asthma attack, including exercise, cold air, pressure changes, and viral infections.
The site of an asthma attack is the airways leading to the lungs. There’s a muscle located outside the airway that controls when it opens and closes. It’s completely reflexive, so you can’t control it voluntarily. However, it can be caused to tighten by certain irritants or external conditions, as mentioned earlier. If you suffer from asthma, the muscle tends to overreact to the irritants, and you’ll experience an asthma attack.
When the muscle tightens, the airway narrows. As well, a build up of mucus takes place, and at the same time the lining becomes inflamed and starts to swell. The presence of mucus in the air passages is completely normal, because it helps the flow of air from the lungs. But when you’re experiencing an asthma attack, the production of mucus increases, thereby filling the air passages.
It’s hard to breathe when this accumulation of mucus is present. As long as the excess mucus is in place, the asthma attack won’t stop. That’s why it’s so important to treat your symptoms immediately with a prescribed medication.
Sometimes an attack will last just a few minutes. A severe attack, though, can go on for hours or days. There will be intervals where you might not experience any symptoms, but they will soon return if you don’t receive the proper medication.
If you suspect you might have asthma, it’s essential that you visit your doctor immediately. Tests will be run in order to make an accurate diagnosis. As well, they’ll try to figure out what’s triggering the attacks. Once you know what your triggers are, it’s essential that you avoid them as much as possible. You’ll need to work closely with your doctor and follow the prescribed asthma treatment if you want to prevent future attacks. Never ignore the symptoms, because an asthma attack can be life threatening.
Tags: exercise, nutrition, Health
