Asthma - Symptoms and Treatment

Asthma is a respiratory disease, which includes shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and tightness of the chest. Asthma cannot be cured, but most people with asthma can control it so that they have few and infrequent symptoms and can live active lives. It is an illness that causes a temporary blockage of the small airways in the lungs. A person in asthma attack faces smooth muscles around the airways tighten, causing the airways to become inflamed, narrow, and produce excess mucus. This makes it difficult for air to pass in and out of the lungs.

Causes of Asthma

Following are the causes of the Asthma specially allergy is the most important factor of Asthma which may be due to these factors :

• Animal dander (from the skin, hair, or feathers of animals)
• Dust mites (contained in house dust)
• Cockroaches
• Pollen from trees and grass
• Mold (indoor and outdoor)
• Cigarette smoke
• Air pollution
• Cold air or changes in weather
• Strong odors from painting or cooking
• Scented products
• Strong emotional expression (including crying or laughing hard) and stress
• Medicines such as aspirin and beta-blockers
• A condition called gastroesophageal (GAS-tro-e-sof-o-JEE-al) reflux disease that causes heartburn and can worsen asthma symptoms, especially at night
• Irritants or allergens that you may be exposed to at your work, such as special chemicals or dusts
• Infections

Symtoms of Asthma

Following are early signs of a Asthma patient:

• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Tightness in the chest
• Sneezing
• Trouble sleeping
• Headache
• Runny/stuffy nose
• Coughing
• Chin or throat itches
• Feeling tired
• Dark circles under eyes
• Breathing changes
• Poor tolerance for exercise
• Moodiness

Treatment of Asthma

Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled with proper control of nearby environment.So various measures should be taken to lessen the chance of an asthma attack like proper cleaning, other medical treatments for asthma patients are :

1. Anti-inflammatories

2. Other inhaled anti-inflammatory drugs include cromolyn sodium (Intal) and nedrocromil (Tilade).

3. Bronchodilators

4. Zafirlukast (Accolate) and zileuton (Zyflo)