Asthma

Asthma is an allergic condition that causes the airways of the lungs to narrow, restricting the amount of oxygen the lungs can receive. Asthma can be controlled by the correct use of inhalers or medication.

There may be a genetic link to asthma, hay fever and eczema, which suggests that these conditions can be passed on through the family (1/ 2).

When a person with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways an inflammatory process begins, causing bronchial muscle over-sensitivity. The environmental cause of the asthma attack is known as an asthma trigger.

During an asthma attack, the airways narrow and the lining of the airways becomes inflamed and starts to swell. Sticky mucus or phlegm can also build up, which can make the attack worse.

According to charity Asthma UK, there were 1,200 deaths from asthma in the UK in 2006 (40 were children aged 14 years or under). On average, three people per day or one person every seven hours dies from asthma (3).

What's the difference between asthma and a simple cough?

A chesty cough isn't necessarily an indication of asthma, although if it persists you should visit your GP.

The following symptoms could indicate asthma:

  • Waking at night with coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or a tight chest
  • Feeling that you cannot keep up with your normal level of activity or exercise
  • You feel as though there is a band tightening around your chest
  • You have general feeling of breathlessness for no obvious reason

Common asthma triggers include:

  • lung infections
  • stress
  • air pollutants
  • certain foods (nuts or shellfish)
  • exercise
  • animals and pets
  • dust mites
  • moulds and fungi
  • pollen and smoking

Infolinks:

Refs

  1. Wadonda-Kabondo, Sterne and Golding et al | Association of parental eczema, hayfever, and asthma with atopic dermatitis in infancy: birth cohort study | Archives of Disease in Childhood | 2004 Oct; 89(10):917-21
  2. Public Health Genetics Unit | Genetic contribution to asthma severity? | Published Aug 13 2002 | Accessed Mar 24 2009
  3. Asthma UK | Key facts & statistics | Page last updated Oct 20 2008 | Accessed Apr 6 2009

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