Asthma

Asthma is a condition where someone’s airways has become inflamed and constrict which causes, episodes of wheezing and coughing that can be anywhere from discomfort to life threatening. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, asthma affects about 7-9% of adults and about 7-10% of children. Most deaths from asthma only occur in underdeveloped countries.

According to Web MD there are two main ways to treat asthma, controller medications and quick-relief medications.  Controller medications prevent asthma attacks. Quick-relief medications or rescue medications are more for if you are having a minor asthma attack. Quick-relief medications are generally used by people with exercise induced asthma. Examples of controller medications would be drugs taken daily or however often is prescribed by a doctor. Some examples of quick- relief medications would be inhalers (pictured above) and nebulizers.

Asthma can be triggered by many things, including exercise and allergies. According to Sirs about 15 million people in the United States have asthma and more than a third of those people are children. Asthma causes about two million emergency room visits and 4,500 deaths yearly. A good way to try and control asthma is to make sure you have your inhaler with you as much as possible and to look for patterns, like places where you frequently have asthma attacks. When you go to places like that it’d be a good idea to be more cautious of having an attack and defiantly make sure you have an inhaler and possibly a nebulizer with you.

Even if you have asthma you can still live an active and normal life. All you have to do is be smart and careful with your asthma and make sure you take any prescribed medications. As long as you listen to your doctor, monitor patterns, and make sure to have an inhaler with you, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about and can still participate in sports and lead a good, healthy life.

 

• Do you know anyone with asthma?
• Do you have asthma?
• Have you ever been checked for asthma?