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Bronchial Asthma

WHAT IS ASTHMA?
Asthma is a common disease which affects about one in ten children and one in 20 adults. Many people think of asthma as something that starts in childhood, but it can occur for the first time at any age. Asthma may get better or disappear completely during the teenage years, but about 50 per cent of children with asthma will still have some problems as an adult. There is a tendency for asthma to run in families but many sufferers have no relatives with asthma. Asthma cannot as yet be cured but it can be kept under control so that asthma attacks are prevented. Most people with asthma receiving proper treatment taken regularly can live entirely normally, with no time lost from school or work and enjoy full involvement in sport and other recreations. 

WHAT HAPPENS IN ASTHMA?
In people with asthma the bronchial tubes contract. As it is more difficult to get air in and out of narrowed tubes, asthmatics get the symptoms of shortness of breath, wheezing and a tight feeling in the chest. In addition, sticky sputum (phlegm) is produced which may be coughed up or give a feeling of congestion in the chest. 

WHAT MAKES ASTHMA WORSE?
On many occasions asthma gets worse for no apparent reason, but some things will often cause a deterioration:
• The common cold or flu will usually make asthma worse and this can last for up to six weeks unless increased treatment is given.
• Asthma attacks are often set off by allergies. The common things to which asthmatics are allergic are grass pollen, house dust and animal fur. About one in fifty people with asthma are allergic to aspirin.
• Exercise, particularly running in cold weather, can
cause an asthma attack but with correct treatment exercise-induced asthma can be well controlled. Asthmatics should not avoid sport and exercise since overall they are beneficial.
• Irritants like tobacco smoke, fumes and a dusty atmosphere will often lead to asthma attacks. 
• Emotion - anger, anxiety or happiness - can bring on an attack of wheezing in some asthmatics. However, it is not true that ‘nerves’ are the cause of asthma. Most tablets and medicines are completely safe in asthma. However, if you have high blood pressure or angina some medication can cause complications, but other alternatives do exist. Check with your doctor if you are not sure, but never stop taking your tablets suddenly without taking medical advice first. 

WHAT TREATMENTS ARE THERE FOR ASTHMA?
Asthma cannot be cured but with the right treatment most people with asthma lead completely normal lives. Many treatments are available and are usually given as an inhaler (or puffer), or sometimes in tablet form. Some treatments are for rapid relief of symptoms (relievers), others must be taken regularly for best effect, whether or not you are feeling wheezy or short of breath (these are called ‘preventers’). Talk your treatment over with
your doctor, and make sure you understand how it should be taken for maximum benefit.

HOW TO RECOGNISE WHEN YOU NEED MORE TREATMENT
It is important to recognise when your asthma is getting worse so that you can get the right treatment. Asthma is often worse at night and one of the signs that you need more treatment is waking during the night or in the early morning wheezing or shortness of breath. Children with asthma often wake at night coughing and this may also be a sign that they need more treatment. If you are more wheezy during the day and need to use your inhalers more frequently than usual, you should arrange to see your doctor. If you have a bad attack which is not relieved by your inhalers, and particularly if you are having trouble talking, you should seek urgent treatment from your doctor or at the Accident and Emergency (Casualty) Department of your local hospital.