Living With Asthma

Asthma is a serious condition effecting millions of Americans, particularly children. The airways of people who suffer from asthma are overly sensitive which leads to an occasional overreaction to substances or air quality that has little or no effect on the lungs of a person who does not suffer from asthma. When sensitive asthmatic lungs are exposed to an irritating substance or event, a serious of reactions begin to occur leading to an asthma attack.

First, the bronchial muscles begin to tighten. This is referred to by medical health professionals as a bronchospasm. A bronchospasm is similar to the pinching of a straw; as the pinch get tighter, less liquid moves through the straw and reaches your mouth. Like your fingers on the straw, the tiny bronchial muscles tighten around the outside of your bronchial tubes, and the space on the inside of the tubes becomes very narrow. Suddenly, less air is getting through the bronchial tubes to your lungs. This leads to the feeling that many asthmatics describe as not being able to catch their breath. During the spell of shortness of breath, asthmatics may also hear a wheezing sound as they force the air in and out or their obstructed airways.

The airways of people with normal lungs often constrict as a response to allergens or other irritants, but lungs with asthma have airways that are far more likely to constrict due to increased response to allergens. This also makes the bronchial tubes of an asthmatic more prone to infection, which can lead to inflammation and swelling, in turn causing further constriction of the airways. Infection then often leads to increased mucus production, further clogging the already tight and inflamed airways. Irritation of the mucus in lungs with asthma may lead to coughing which can contribute to the feeling of being short of breath. Once the airways become obstructed by any combination of these reactions, it takes significantly more effort to force air through them and breathing starts to feel difficult.

When the bronchial tubes swell, exhaling becomes just as difficult as inhaling. The stale air unable to move through the obstructed airways gets stuck in the lungs and builds with every breath. The stale air leaves little room for the fresh air taken in with each new breath, so the body begins to suffer from both insufficient oxygen and excessive carbon dioxide, causing the blood supply to become acidic. If the symptoms of asthma and severe asthma attacks are not sufficiently treated, the acidity of the blood has the potential to rise to toxic levels.

A combination of these reactions in an asthma lung is referred to as an asthma attack. During an asthma attack, the person has trouble breathing and often becomes distraught. Most people suffering from an asthma attack have trouble performing normal activities until the attack ends or they are able to treat it with a fast acting inhaler. In a healthy lung, none of the reactions above would occur. Some asthmatics have lungs with airways that remain perpetually inflamed due to ineffective treatment or continuous exposure to allergens or irritants.

Katie Appleby is an accomplished niche website developer and author.
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