A Basic Guide to Asthma
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic (long-term) lung disease. When exposed to certain trigger factors, the airways become swollen and narrow, making breathing difficult. Asthma cannot be cured but can be controlled.
What are the symptoms of an asthma attack? The typical symptoms of asthma include:
• Coughing: It is often worse at night or early in the morning, making it hard to sleep.
• Breathlessness/Shortness of breath: It is a feeling like you cannot get air out of your lungs.
• Chest tightness: This may feel like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.
• Wheezing/Noisy breathing: This is a whistling or squeaky sound that occurs when you breathe.
Not all people with asthma have these symptoms. Likewise, having these symptoms does not always mean that you have asthma.
What causes asthma? The exact cause of asthma is not known. Some of the common triggers are:
• Moulds
• Dust and dust mites
• Upper respiratory tract infection (URTI)
• Cigarette smoke
• Pets (animal dander)
• Pollution
• Food additives
• Exercise
• Stress
How is asthma diagnosed? Your doctor will diagnose asthma based on your medical history, a physical exam and test results. The tests include:
• Spirometry to measure your lung function (Lung Function Test)
• Bronchoprovocation test to measure airway sensitivity
• Allergy test to find out which allergens affect you, if any
How is asthma treated and controlled?
1. Avoid triggers (stay away from things that irritate your airways)
2. Asthma medications
Most people take 2 kinds of medicines: Long term control and quick relief medicine, usually in the form of an inhaler.
• Preventer medicine
Most of it contain inhaled corticosteroid. It helps to prevent and reduce swelling in the airways, reduce airway sensitivity and the frequency of asthma attacks.
• Quick reliever or “rescue” medicine relaxes the muscle in the airways, makes the airways open wider, and relieves asthma symptoms.
• Steroid tablets (such as Prednisolone); a short course is sometimes needed to prevent the progression of an asthma attack.
3. See your doctor regularly
4. Annual flu vaccination may be ordered to prevent serious chest infection
5. Know when to get medical and emergency help
• Severe shortness of breath
• Difficulty speaking
• Symptoms are getting worse
• Quick reliever medicine is not helping
