by Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that affects millions in the country every day. Not only does it affect the daily lives of those afflicted, it can also be deadly if ignored or untreated. While a higher percentage of asthma cases develop in early adolescence, a large portion of the adult population suffers from asthma. The Global Initiative for Asthma defines it as “a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways in which many cells and cellular elements play a role.” As such a serious disease, it is important to know how to treat asthma and create a plan to avoid it where you can.
The first question on the road to asthma relief is: can asthma be cured? The answer is no. there is no asthma cure, so treatment consists of mitigating the symptoms and preventing acute exacerbations through avoidance of triggers and preventative medicine. In the event of an asthma attack, there are medications that can quell the storm, but they cannot eliminate the condition itself.
Understanding Asthma
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting the bronchus, or airway of the respiratory tract leading to the lungs. The presence of asthma is determined by a combination of genetic and environmental stimuli. However, the exact cause of asthma is not known with certainty. What is known with certainty is that asthma is incurable. Symptoms can be mitigated by usage of corticosteroids and other medications, and by avoiding or responding to known asthma triggers, such as dust, pollen, pollution, smoking and heavy exercise. Though attacks can be prevented to some degree, it is ultimately a lifelong disease that can be onset at any age.
Asthma symptoms are typically characterized by coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, and bronchial spasms. However, asthma can have more severe symptoms and complications.
Since it cannot be cured, asthma must be managed, which means the asthmatic patient must always be monitoring his or her condition to gauge therapeutic response and asthmatic control. This also means that the patient must responsibly avoid potential triggers by planning around them or removing themselves from the danger zone.
