What is Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic disease which cannot be cured, but it can be controlled. It is a disease of the respiratory system in which the airways in a person’s body develop that of increased responsiveness to that of various stimuli, and the symptoms of asthma can vary from mild to life threatening.
What is the Cause of Asthma?
As for the cause of asthma, it is truly not fully understood as to what factors are the cause of asthma, even though there has been significant amounts of research done in regards to this matter. However, in regards to the cause of asthma attacks, there are several things and factors in particular that are considered as being a known cause of asthma attacks, and which therefore any asthmatic person should beware of.
For instance, some of the most common factors include that of: exercise, allergens, irritants, viral infections, animal dander, dust mites, cockroaches, pollen from trees and grass, and indoor and outdoor mold. Some other factors include: cigarette smoke, air pollution, cold air or changes in the weather, strong odors from painting or cooking, scented products, stress, medicines such as Aspirin, sulfites in food, and infections.
The symptoms of a typical asthma attack will include that of the following: wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and tightness in the chest, for instance. There are certain steps that most asthmatics are told to take, in order to at least try to prevent the occurrence of attacks, which includes that of the following: clean carpets regularly, wash pillowcases and sheets in hot water weekly, wash hands regularly, remove any rugs or carpets that collect dust, keep your windows closed, keep the air conditioning on, and keep your animals outside.
Although even if you used all of these methods, there is still no guarantee that you will not suffer from an asthma attack, at least you know that the risk is less. Because asthma is not a curable disease, the only real thing you can do to benefit yourself is to take all of the proper and preventive precautions that you can, such as following what you should and should not do if you are an asthmatic.
One of the other most important factors is to make sure that you have been diagnosed properly, and the way your physician will do this is by using a spirometer, which is a device that assesses lung function, and is used: to determine how well the lungs receive, hold, and utilize air; to monitor a lung disease; to monitor the effectiveness of treatment; to determine the severity of a lung disease; and to determine whether or not the lung disease is restrictive or obstructive.