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Asthma is a
chronic lung disease characterized
by spasm of the bronchi and bronchioles
of the lungs. Also called our
large and small
airways, these two main branches of
the trachea carry air in and out
of lungs. Individuals with asthma
have particularly sensitive airways
that constrict in response to an
external or internal trigger. The
danger with an acute asthma
attack is that the
inflammation from a given attack may restrict an individual's ability to breathe.
Due to this, severe asthma attacks
often become a medical emergency.
However, with today's advances in
medicinal applications, asthma attacks
are
reversible and rarely fatal. |
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Asthma is divided
into two different categories:
extrinsic asthma and
intrinsic asthma.
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Extrinsic or
atopic asthma is considered an
allergic condition, where the
immune system abnormally responds
to allergens or antigens. Some
extrinsic triggers include; pollens, animal dander, hair and
saliva, dust mites, mold, foods
(nuts, dairy, corn, citrus, wheat,
yeast), food additives (dyes,
preservatives, sulfites, MSG), or
drugs (NSAIDs, aspirin).
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Intrinsic asthma
is non-allergenic and due to
triggers such as toxic chemicals,
climate (cold air, poor air
quality), exercise, infection,
nutritional deficiencies,
infection (upper respiratory colds
or flu), fumes (cigarette smoke,
perfume, air pollutants, car
fumes) or emotional stress.
In both extrinsic and intrinsic
asthma, the immune system reacts
to an asthma-provoking trigger by
releasing histamine and other
chemicals that produce
constriction, inflammation, and
spasm in the respiratory tract.
According to the
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma
and Immunology (1):
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20.3 million
Americans suffer from asthma.
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10 million
Americans have allergic asthma.
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9 million American
children under 18 have been
diagnosed with asthma.
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The prevalence of
asthma increased by 97 percent
among women, compared with 22
percent among men, from 1982-1996.
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The prevalence of
asthma increased by 75% from
1980-1994.
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The rate of asthma
increased more than 160% among
children under the age of five,
from 1980-1994.
The severity of
asthma symptoms may vary according
to the individual. Many asthma
sufferers experience symptoms if
they come into contact with their
asthma trigger. Others may
experience symptoms at different
times of the day, if they get a
cold, or after exercise. The major
symptoms associated with asthma are:
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