Living a Normal Life with Asthma

Asthma was recognized in Ancient Egypt and was officially named as a specific respiratory problem by Hippocrates circa 450 BC, with the Greek word for “panting” forming the basis of our modern name.

235–330 million people worldwide are affected by asthma, and approximately 250,000 people die per year from the disease. In the USA and Western Europe, asthma is one of the leading causes of school absenteeism.

While asthma is a well recognized condition, there is not one universal agreed upon definition. It is defined by the Global Initiative for Asthma as “a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role. The chronic inflammation is associated with airway hyper-responsiveness that leads to recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing particularly at night or in the early morning. These episodes are usually associated with widespread but variable airflow obstruction within the lung that is often reversible either spontaneously or with treatment”

The inside walls of an asthmatic’s airways are swollen or inflamed and thus extremely sensitive to irritations. As inflammation causes the airways to become narrower, less air can pass through them, both to and from the lungs. Symptoms of the narrowing include wheezing, chest tightness, breathing problems, and coughing. An asthma episode–mild, moderate or severe– is when symptoms are worse than usual. The muscles around your airways tighten up; inflammation of the airways increases accompanied by more mucus produced in the airways, undermining the flow of air even more. An asthma attack does not let the carbon dioxide leave the lungs at a fast enough rate. Carbon dioxide – poisonous if not expelled – can build up in the lungs during a prolonged attack, lowering the amount of oxygen getting into your bloodstream.

In some asthma attacks, the airways are so blocked that oxygen fails to enter the lungs and consequently the blood stream and to the body’s vital organs. Asthma attacks of this type can be fatal, and the patient may require urgent hospitalization.

Asthma is thought to be caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors including allergens, air pollution, environmental chemicals, smoking during pregnancy and after delivery, low air quality from traffic pollution or high ozone levels.

Perhaps the most distressing element about asthma is that it is an incurable illness. Uncontrolled asthma impedes your routine, efficiency, performance and lifestyle. If you don’t control your asthma you will miss school or work more often and you will be less likely to be able to take part in some activities you enjoy.

If you suffer from asthma you should see your doctor who will help you find out what triggers your asthma symptoms and how to avoid them. You will also be prescribed medications which will help you manage your asthma. A diagnosis of asthma should be suspected if there is a history of recurrent wheezing, coughing or difficulty breathing and these symptoms occur or worsen due to exercise, viral infections, allergens or air pollution. Spirometry is then used to confirm the diagnosis. In children under the age of six the diagnosis is more difficult as they are too young for spirometry.

Treatment of acute symptoms is usually with an inhaled short-acting beta-2 agonist (such as salbutamol) and oral corticosteroids. In very severe cases, intravenous corticosteroids, magnesium sulfate, and hospitalization may be required.

My Mexican Drugstore is an  online portal to purchase these quick relief as well as long term asthma control  branded and  generic medications used to prevent further exacerbation of asthmatic conditions and that too at affordable prices.

My Mexican Drugstore believes that with good treatment and management there is no reason why a person with asthma cannot live a normal and active life. With experience you will learn to keep away from things that irritate your airways, know when to take your medication, and better control your asthma.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 7th, 2013 at 7:45 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.