what is asthma

1. What is Asthma?

2. Asthma is a condition that inspires fear and anxiety, when in fact, there’s nothing to worry about. Simply put, asthma is a breathing problem that affects the airways in the lungs.  What happens is that the airways react to certain substances, known as irritants and become inflamed and narrow making make breathing difficult. 

3. “There’s no need to hold yourself back from having a normal, active life”

4. Asthma Triggers A trigger is anything — from dust mites to deodorants — that irritates the airways. It can cause the airways to become narrow and inflamed, leading to asthma symptoms. Avoiding triggers, if possible, can help to control asthma.

5.  Some of the Common Triggers are: It is important to remember that everyone’s asthma is different, and therefore their triggers tend to be different as well.  • Dust mites — Mites that thrive in dust on mattresses, curtains, and soft toys • Cigarette smoke and air pollutants — Irritants in the air, such as smoke, chemical / exhaust fumes, strong odours from room fresheners / deodorants and cleaning products

6. Pollen — Pollens from grass, trees and weeds • Pets — Pet hair, feathers, fur and even saliva • Occupational triggers —Wood & coal dust, chemicals, metal salts, paint airborne dust in mines etc.

7. Viral and bacterial infections — Common cold and sinusitis • Medication — Certain medicines, e.g. aspirin, some blood pressure drugs • Strong Emotions — Stress and high emotions, such as crying

8. Asthma Symptoms It’s very easy to recognise the symptoms of asthma. The common symptoms of asthma are: • Shortness of breath or Breathlessness: You feel like you can’t get enough air in or out of your lungs, and find it especially difficult to breathe out. • Wheezing: You hear a whistling sound every time you breathe out.

9. Frequent or persistent cough: You have a cough that doesn’t go away for many days, and you find that you often cough at night or after exercising. • Tightness in the chest: You get a tight feeling in the chest, like someone is squeezing or sitting on your chest.

10. Asthma Diagnosis There is no single test to diagnose asthma. However, that’s no reason to worry; because your doctor can decide if you have asthma based on talking to you, examining you and performing some breathing tests. It is important to give your doctor accurate information about your symptoms, medication, allergies and other health related problems you may be facing.

11. Asthma Diagnosis While most diagnoses are based on medical history, your doctor may also recommend breathing tests, to be completely sure of the problem and treatment to be given. • Peak-flow test If you’re having symptoms suggestive of asthma, your doctor may do a peak flow test to see how open your airways are. The peak flow test (peak expiratory flow test or PEF) measures how fast you can breathe out

12. Spirometrytest After knowing your symptoms and examination, if the doctor suspects that you have asthma he/she may conduct a spirometry test to know how well your lungs work. The spirometry test is carried out using a machine called a spirometer. It measures how much air you breathe in, how much you breathe out and how quickly you breathe out. The results appear as values and a graph. For more information read

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