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GPhC reg. no. 1120610
All medications from licensed pharmacies
GPhC reg. no. 1120610
Asthma is a long-term health condition that varies in severity between patients. It affects both men and women and adults and children. In the United Kingdom one in twelve adults suffers with asthma. The condition is caused by an inflammation of the airways that are responsible for carrying air into the lungs. When these airways become inflamed it becomes more difficult for air to pass through them and to reach the lungs. When this happens the patient suffers an asthma attack.
Asthma symptoms include shortness of breath, a tightening of the chest, having a cough or wheezing. Some patients may only experience one symptom whilst others may experience more, possibly all.
Asthma sufferers will experience these symptoms when they are exposed to triggers, which irritate their lungs. This irritation causes their airways to constrict, the muscles around those airways to constrict and an increase in the production of mucus.
Asthma sufferers should know their triggers, so that they can avoid them as much as possible. These might be weather conditions, allergens, certain foods, exercise, medications or airborne irritants. Cigarette smoke, ibuprofen, aspirin, cold air, sudden changes in temperature and foods, which contain sulphites, are all triggers for asthma.
Some asthma sufferers will suffer with severe attacks, in which the onset of symptoms will be more pronounced. These included wheeziness, breathlessness and tightening of the chest. Often the patient will feel agitated or restless, experience an increase in heart rate and be unable to speak due to the tightening of their chest. Sometimes an asthma attack can take between six hours and two days to develop whist in other cases sufferers will experience a sudden onset of symptoms
Asthma is not caused by one thing but it tends to run in families. Some allergic conditions such as food allergies, hay fever, and eczema have also been linked to causing asthma. If there is a familial history of these then there is a greater chance of someone having asthma.
Risk factors for children include premature birth, exposure to tobacco smoke and contracting bronchiolitis.
Sometimes people may develop occupational asthma, caused by irritants that are encountered in certain work environments. High-risk industries include people who work with chemicals, paint sprayers, bakers, timber workers, food processing workers, welders, nurses and animal handlers.
