Understanding Asthma Attacks
It seems like asthma is becoming ever more prevalent these days. No doubt you’ve heard about it. But unless you actually suffer from the problem, you might not know what actually transpires during an asthma attack. If you suspect you have asthma, or just want to know more about it, here’s some important information.
There are several typical symptoms of an asthma attack. These include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. This is a severe condition, and can be fatal if you don’t learn to manage it.
What causes an asthma attack? It’s different for everyone. Well known triggers include allergic substances like pollen, dust, environmental pollution, chemicals and smoke. Indeed, many attacks are actually caused by allergy induced asthma. There are also other factors that can set off an asthma attack, including exercise, cold air, pressure changes, and viral infections.
An asthma attack takes place within the air passage to your lungs. There’s a muscle located outside the airway that controls when it opens and closes. It’s completely reflexive, so you can’t control it voluntarily. But allergens or the other factors that were pointed out above can cause it to constrict. When you have an asthma condition, the muscle reacts disproportionately to the the triggers, thereby causing an attack.
If the muscle tightens up, the air passage becomes constricted. It also gets clogged with mucus and the lining becomes swollen and inflamed. The presence of mucus in the air passages is completely normal, because it helps the flow of air from the lungs. However, during an asthma attack, mucus production increases considerably, and it clogs the airway.
It’s hard to breathe when this accumulation of mucus is present. The asthma attack won’t end until the mucus is cleared away. So it’s essential that you manage your symptoms quickly with a medication that has been prescribed by your doctor.
Sometimes an attack will last just a few minutes. However, a severe attack can last for hours or even days. There will be intervals where you might not experience any symptoms, but they will soon return if you don’t receive the proper medication.
If you suspect you might have asthma, it’s essential that you visit your doctor immediately. He or she will run some tests to diagnose the situation. As well, they’ll try to figure out what’s triggering the attacks. Once you know what your triggers are, it’s essential that you avoid them as much as possible. In order to avoid asthma attacks in the future, close medical supervision and a strong commitment to using the proper asthma remedies are essential. The attacks can be deadly, so don’t ignore your symptoms.