Asthma is an inflammatory illness
that affects many people. It can affect anybody, but the reasons that it affects
people, vary. Some people have asthma when they are children and it disappears
once they are older. For others, it manifests later in life. There is no
particular reason for why it is triggered and when it will manifest. When
someone has an attack, their airways get inflamed and clogged with mucus making
it difficult to breathe.
Some reasons why asthma attacks happen
Allergy
Many people are prone to
allergies. But this doesn’t mean that everyone who is prone to allergy become
asthma sufferers. But studies have shown that people who are prone to
allergies, are more prone to bouts of wheezing. This is called an allergic
asthma attack. It is important to figure out what the patient is allergic to.
It could be certain kinds of pollen from flowers or weeds. It could be due to
certain smells. Some people are allergic to types of food.
Genetic
Asthma can be hereditary. Many
families have a history of asthma and it may manifest at some point in their
lives. The strength of the wheezing spell can vary. For some, it can be a light
wheeze while others may actually have to be hospitalized due to a bad bout.
Weather
Studies have shown that cold
weather is a trigger for asthma in many people. They are perfectly fine all
through summer and autumn, but the first hint of the cold, and the wheezing
starts. This can continue well into spring.
Stress
Many people get an asthmatic
attack as a reaction to stress. They get a wheeze if their stress levels go up.
It could be due to the fact that as stress increases, the body releases
hormones and adrenaline and this may trigger an asthma attack.
Obesity
Obesity has been linked with
asthma. The reason could be that a person who is obese, gets short of breath,
when doing any kind of hard work, and this may result in a wheezing spell that
may lead to full blown asthma.
Sinusitis and respiratory infections
Some people suffer from sinusitis
and other kinds of respiratory infections. These illnesses produce mucus that
clogs the airways and this might, if not treated, trigger asthmatic attacks.
Help for asthma sufferers
There has been a lot of
advancement in providing help for people who suffer from this illness. For
those who have wheezing spells once in a while, there is an inhaler with a drug
that frees the clogged airways from mucus. A small puff of this inhaler is
enough, to help relieve the wheeze.
For chronic asthma sufferers,
there are nebulizers that helps clear their breathing tubes. Earlier, this was
only available in hospitals and when a bad asthmatic bout occurs, one would have
to rush to the hospital. But now there are compact smaller units available that
can be used at home. Doing breathing exercises and yoga has been found to help patients
who suffer from this illness.
If you suffer from asthma, you
should try and find out what the trigger for your asthma is. If it is caused by
outside influences, you should take care to avoid them. If it is triggered by
something you cannot control, you should see your doctor and figure how best to
control the illness. It is also important to educate your loved ones on what to
do if you get a spell of wheezing. Sometimes if you get a bad attack, you may
not be able to help yourself and they need to know how to help you.
By taking a bit of care you can
be in control over your asthmatic attacks.
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