What is Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease that solely affects the airways. The airways are the tubes that bring oxygen in and out of your lungs. When a person has asthma, the airways become swollen and because of the inflammation the airways become very sensitive and they are bothered more by allergens and irritants than someone who does not have asthma. As the airways react to the irritants the airways become constricted and less and less air is being allow to get to your lungs.

When this begins to happen you will start to wheeze. Wheezing is also a good indicator of how the asthma attack is progressing. Wheezing is actually good because the more you wheeze the longer the airways will stay open. Once the wheezing stops then it is a sign the airways are becoming totally blocked. You will also experience coughing, a tightness in your chest and rapid breathing. These symptoms will be felt more in the early morning and the night time.

As the attack progresses the muscles that are in the area of the airways will tighten up as well. This is bad because it makes the airways more narrow and even less air is getting to the lungs. What also happens is the cells in the airways will produce mucus that will block the airway and making it even harder to breathe.

Asthma Attack

Every person who suffers from asthma is different than the next. The symptoms and the attacks are different. It all depends on the human body and who reacts better to allergens and who reacts badly to them. If you experience the wheezing, coughing , tightness in the chest and the rapid breathing, please see your doctor. You don’t want asthma turning into something worse. The doctor will prescribe medications and you must take them as directed. Never stop taking them because you feel better.

You cannot predict an asthma attack. Once you begin to have an attack you immediately must take your inhaler. Even on the first sign of any symptom. The quicker your reaction to the attack will affect the duration and severity of the attack. Millions and millions of people suffer from asthma, both young and old. There is no real set age where you think I can’t get this, because the truth is you can get asthma at any age. There isn’t any profile of person who is more prone to asthma than the next person. It can hit anybody at any age.