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Asthma - Asthma symptom, treatment, causes
Synonym: Bronchial asthma, allergic asthma.
Asthma is a long-standing inflammatory disease of the airway in which
the respiratory (tracheo-bronchial) tree responds to a wide
variety of stimuli by constricting and causing a narrowing of
the air passages. This may be relieved either spontaneously
or after treatment.
Asthma (Az-muh) is a chronic disease that affects your airways . Asthma can be a life-threatening disease . Asthma is derived from the Greek word "Panos," meaning panting. The Hindu philosophers connected the soul and breath as part of the mind, body, and spirit connection. Asthma occurs when the main air passages of your lungs, the bronchial tubes, become inflamed. The muscles of the bronchial walls tighten, and cells in the lungs produce extra mucus further narrowing your airways . If you have asthma, your airways (breathing passages) are extra sensitive. When you are around certain things, your extra-sensitive airways .
Asthma is a chronic but treatable condition. You can manage your condition much like someone manages diabetes or heart disease . If an asthma episode is severe, a person may need emergency treatment to restore normal breathing .The illustration on the right shows a cross section of the airways, with and without inflammation. Sometimes sticky mucus or phlegm builds up which can further narrow the airways. you can prevent serious symptoms and take part in all activities. Asthma is commonly divided into two types: allergic (extrinsic) asthma and non-allergic (intrinsic) asthma.. Asthma is not generally considered by doctors to be a serious illness. some of these, an attack is so severe that it results in death
Symptoms of Asthma
The main symptom of Asthma is the Breathlessness.
Asthma is episodic. Attacks alternate with trouble free
intervals.
Each attack lasts anything from minutes to hours.
Generally, recovery is complete at the end of an attack.
Sometimes the narrowing persists, fore-shadowing the
complication status asthmaticus.
Cause of Asthma
Two main varieties of asthma are described, but most victims
have features of both:
a) Allergic asthma
Sufferers have a family history of atopy (allergy).
Skin tests are positive.
b) Idiosyncratic asthma
No family history of allergy.
Skin tests are negative.
Attacks usually follow upper respiratory infections.
Children generally have allergic asthma.
Older sufferers are likely to show more features of group b.
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