What is ASTHMA?
Asthma is a disease of the lungs. The airways of people with asthma are extra sensitive to the things they’re allergic to (called allergens) and to other irritating things in the air (called irritants). Asthma symptoms start when allergens or other irritants cause the lining of the airways to swell (become inflamed) and narrow. The muscles around the airways can then spasm, (contract rapidly), causing the airways to narrow even more. When the lining of the airways is inflamed, it produces more mucus. The mucus clogs the airways and further blocks the flow of air. This is called an “asthma attack.
Asthma is a chronic (long-term) disease that makes it hard to breathe. At its worst, asthma can be fatal. For example, in 2003, asthma killed 287 Canadians 1. Asthma can’t be cured, but it can be managed. With proper treatment, people with asthma can lead normal, active lives. If you have asthma, your airways (breathing passages) are extra sensitive. When you are around certain things, your extra-sensitive airways can: Become red and swollen – your airways get inflamed inside. They fill up with mucus. The swelling and mucus make your airways narrower, so it’s harder for the air to pass through. Become “twitchy” and go into spasm – the muscles around your airways squeeze together and tighten. This makes your airways narrower, leaving less room for the air to pass through. The more red and swollen your airways are, the more twitchy they become.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the lungs. Asthma can make breathing difficult and cause symptoms such as coughing and wheezing. Asthma symptoms are commonly triggered by allergies, colds and exposure to cigarette smoke. During an asthma attack, the walls of the airway swell and the airway becomes narrower. This makes breathing harder – like it would feel to breath through a small straw.
Asthma is a inflammatory lung condition which is usually reversible but can be irreversible in the later stages. Symptoms include difficulty breathing, wheezing, chest tightness and coughing. It can be triggered by multiple stimuli including exercise, cold weather, allergies and upper respiratory infections.
Asthma is a chronic, inflammatory disorder of the airways. A person with asthma may not feel symptoms all the time. But when that person has an “asthma episode” (also called an asthma attack), it becomes hard for air to pass through the airways, resulting in breathing difficulties, wheezing, coughing, or other symptoms. To understand asthma, it is helpful to understand how air moves in and out of the lungs: • Fresh, oxygen-rich air enters the mouth/nose and moves down the trachea (also called your windpipe) • The trachea splits into two major airways called bronchial tubes • The bronchial tubes divide into smaller and smaller airways in the lungs • The air finally reaches the smallest airways, called bronchioles • The air enters tiny air sacs called alveoli; this is where oxygen is transferred into your lungs and carbon dioxide is picked up • The air is exhaled out Asthma occurs throughout the lung’s bronchial tubes and bronchioles. Travel into the lungs and see the bronchial tubes.Nee
