Asthma Health Article

Definition

Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system that causes breathing difficulty. Asthma is typically expressed by repeated but reversible episodes of constriction and inflammation of the airways and lungs. Typical symptoms include wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Technically, asthma is described as a chronic inflammatory disorder of the respiratory system. Asthma has both a genetic and environmental basis. The symptoms of asthma are caused by allergic-like reactions of the body's immune system to environmental and behavioral stimuli.

Description

Asthma is a chronic, life-long disease that affects the complex network of air passageways of the human respiratory system—the bronchial tubes (airways) and the lungs. Its symptoms range from mild discomfort to life threatening attacks that require immediate emergency treatment. Asthmatic patients can experience "asthma attacks" of varying degrees of severity. These episodes reduce the amount of air that can get in and out of the lungs. Severe asthma attacks can leave individuals gasping for air.

An asthma attack involves the constriction (narrowing) and swelling (inflammation) of the airways (bronchi and bronchioles) and inflammation of the lining of the lungs. As the lining of the airways become inflamed, more mucus is produced. The extra fluid in the mucus is the body's way of removing foreign substances, such as allergens, that come into contact with body tissues. In medical terms, the narrowing or constriction of the airways is referred to as an "obstruction." Persistent or chronic inflammation of the airways can cause permanent damage and reduce lung function so that breathing becomes less efficient.

Typical symptoms of asthma include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and tightening of the chest. It is a life-long, chronic condition. Currently, there is no "cure" for asthma, but new, more effective medications and careful management of the disease can help asthmatic patients maintain a quality, active lifestyle.

Chronic asthma is the result of an interaction between heredity and environment. Research has confirmed that some people inherit a strong genetic disposition for asthma that can be "triggered" by a variety of possible environmental factors, such as repeated exposure to irritants such as dust mites, pet hairs, and tobacco smoke.

Modern medical treatment focuses on helping asthma patients achieve control over their own asthma situation on a day to day basis. Another important goal is reducing the incidence of severe attacks in patients with the most serious or advanced stages of this disease.

One of the most troubling aspects about asthma is that, despite recent advances in basic research and clinical treatment, scientists have not yet unraveled the complex physiological mechanisms and processes that cause the disease condition referred to as asthma. Also, it is often not possible to pinpoint the exact nature of the triggers that initiate asthmatic symptoms in specific individuals.

There is still no "cure" for asthma, but ongoing medical research has led to improved treatment and management that has dramatically improved the quality of life for people who have asthma. An improvement in environmental conditions in which asthmatics live can reduce the number and severity of asthma attacks and may actually decrease the number of people sensitized to environmental triggers.

In the long term, scientists hope to discover ways to prevent the development of asthma in individuals who have a genetic predisposition for this disease. The medical term for this approach is "primary prevention intervention."

Unfortunately, the number of asthma cases around the world is increasing at an alarming rate—so fast, in fact, that leading medical authorities now refer to this disease as the "asthma epidemic." At the beginning of the new millennium, more people in the United States die of chronic diseases, such as asthma, than the ancient scourge of infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis and influenza.

In normal breathing, air enters the nose or mouth, travels down the trachea (windpipe) in the throat and then is carried through a branching network of tubes—the bronchi—to each part of the lungs. These airways end in the alveoli (tiny air sacs) that make up the sponge-like tissues of the lungs. Oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged with the blood circulating within the blood vessels surrounding the air sacs. Under the microscope, these air spaces give the human lung tissue a somewhat sponge-like appearance. Asthma attacks not only the bronchial tubes leading to the lungs, but also the entire network of air passageways within the lungs, including the alveoli. Over time, repeated asthmatic episodes cause permanent changes that decrease the size of the airways. The medical term for this change is the "remodeling" of the airways.