The Common Asthma

The chronic inflammation of the lungs in which the airways (bronchi) are reversibly narrowed is called asthma.

Asthma affects seven percent of the population, and 300 million people worldwide. During the attacks of asthma, the smooth muscle cells in the bronchi constrict, and the airways become inflamed and swollen. In the U.S. asthma causes nearly four thousand deaths when breathing becomes difficult.

Asthma attacks can be prevented by avoiding triggering factors and by drug treatment. Asthma drugs are used for acute attacks and are commonly inhaled.

In more serious asthma cases, drugs are used for long-term prevention, starting with inhaled corticosteroids. The prognosis of asthma is good with treatment.

The public has taken attention in the world and has recently focused on asthma because of its rapidly increasing prevalence, affecting up to one in four urban children.

Some people with asthma only rarely experience symptoms, it's usually in response to triggers, where as other more severe cases may have marked airflow obstruction at all times. Asthmatic symptoms exist in two states which are the steady state of chronic asthma, and the acute state of an acute asthma exacerbation.

Common symptoms of asthma steadily include night time coughing, shortness of breath, a chronic 'throat-clearing' type cough, and complaints of a tight feeling in the chest.

These symptoms can worsen gradually and rather insidiously, up to the point of an acute exacerbation of asthma. It commonly misconstrued that all people with asthma or a wheeze; their disease may be confused with another chronic obstructive pulmonary disease such as emphysema or chronic bronchitis.