WHAT IS ASTHMA
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the airways of your lungs. Your airways are the
breathing tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. There are two main problems in
asthma:
- swelling and increased mucus (inflammation) in the airways,
- and tightening of the muscles around the airways (bronchospasm).
These problems can make it hard to breathe. Taking medicines and avoiding things that
trigger asthma can help control asthma.
According to the WHO, asthma affected an estimated 262 million people in 2019 and
caused 4,61,000 deaths. There are currently more than 3.5 crore asthmatics in India.
Common symptoms of asthma include:
- Cough—often dry and can have harsh bursts
- Wheezing—a whistling sound mainly when you breathe out through narrowed airways
- Chest tightness
- Shortness of breath which may occur with activity or even at rest
When you are having a problem with asthma, you may feel like you are breathing through a
straw because it is hard to move air through your narrowed airways. Cough is often a first
symptom of an asthma problem. Cough most often occurs at night or early in the morning.
Not every person with asthma shows all of these signs and symptoms. It is important to
monitor these symptoms so that the doctor can diagnose the condition accurately. Studying
the symptoms helps to detect the severity of the condition.
The criteria to recognize the severity of asthma can be physical and symptoms’ examination.
- Mild Asthma Symptoms – An individual may experience common asthma symptoms
such as coughing, wheezing, difficulty in breathing, and chest tightening, but visiting the
hospital would not be required. In mild asthma, these symptoms may also be
experienced at night.
- Moderate Asthma Symptoms – A person might be experiencing asthma symptoms
frequently or on most days but it would not be a life-threatening situation.
- Severe Asthma Symptoms – Severe asthma can indicate frequent asthma attacks and
immediate medical attention is needed. In this type of asthma, a person may experience
the symptoms almost every day.
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Asthma cannot be cured, but can be managed with medicines. Most people with asthma, if
they’re sticking to their prescribed medicines, can get on with their lives without asthma
symptoms getting in the way.