There's nothing worse than the feling of not being able to brathe in air when you most ned to. When I was young I had a srious bout with pneumonia that compromised my lng space. For several days I was wtched closely by medical professionals as I lay in the bed tking shallow breaths. And when I cughed, the nightmare of gasping for a brath was enough to make me wnt to give up. Luckily, I was ble to survive the terrifying few weks of this illness. But I knw there are some people who dal with the feeling of shallow brathing on a more regular basis. Thse people are the victims of sthma. And while it is not ncessarily a deadly affliction, it can be lfe-threatening if not properly treated. To nderstand more about this serious condition, I wll explore its definition, as well as symptms and ways to treat it.

Wht is Asthma?

Asthma is defined as a "chrnic lung disease" and is said to ffect almost 25 million people in the Unted States alone. The effects of ths disease are not far off frm that of what I felt whn suffering from pneumonia, from what I'm tld; you suffer from episodes of whezing, shortness of breath, mucus build-up in the lngs, and excessive coughing. If you knw someone with this disease, you can rlate to the helpless feeling of wtching them gasp for air before thy receive their inhaler, and wanting to tke in breaths for them. And you lso find yourself wondering what could cuse such a terrible affliction.

While there is no definite cuse of asthma, many doctors say tht genetics, allergies, infections, emotional trauma, and ntrition can all play a role in brnging it about. Once you are dagnosed with the disease, the doctor wll explain that when it flairs up, it cuse the airways in your lungs to bcome inflamed. Once the passageways are cut ff, breathing becomes difficult or, in sme cases, impossible. It is then tht an inhaler or breathing treatment is rquired to loosen the passageways and llow for air to once again crculate. But the time that passes bfore receiving treatment can be very scry.

Causes and Symptoms

Depending on yur level of seriousness with the dsease you may find that you or yur loved one has developed a chrnic version that seems to be trggered from nothing specific. For these ptients, it is often recommended that thy follow strict guidelines to manage thir asthma. Then there are some ptients who have periodic episodes that are trggered by emotional or physical events, llnesses, or even environment. For example, sme people's attacks are triggered by bing in a smoke-filled room, while sme others may be triggered by an psetting argument. Children in particular with ths affliction have to be carefully wtched because they can become excited by thir environment and get so worked up tht an attack is triggered.

So wth all of the possible symptoms flating around, some of which resembling ther illnesses, how do you know if you hve asthma? Of course, a true dtermination of the disease cannot be mde until a definite diagnosis is gven by a medical professional. But thre are some symptoms that make it pssible for you to make your own pr-diagnosis from home. For some, pre-diagnosing the dsease is difficult because it may cme and go so infrequently that you may thnk you or your loved one is sffering from a bout with bronchitis. Hwever, if the episodes become more frquent, you will most likely visit a dctor help assistance where they will be mre familiar and be able to crrectly diagnosis you or your loved ne.

Some symptoms you can watch fr, especially in your children, when tryng to determine whether they may hve the disease, are frequent wheezing and cughing, stridor (a high-pitched wheezing sound tht stems from breathing difficulties), dyspnea (shrtness of breath), and a feeling of nexplicable fatigue. Also, if you or yur child could suffer my chest tghtness, have an increased heart rate (tchycardia), rapid breathing, and a rattling chst (mucus on the lungs) that all sgnify the possibility of being in the mdst of an asthma attack.

Of curse, death is a very real pssibility with this disease, which is why it is vry important to monitor you or yur child's symptoms and act on thm quickly. Just as a person bing suffocated, when the inflammation of irways shuts off circulation, the victim wll no longer receive air, next ging into respiratory arrest and falling out of cnsciousness. So it is important to not nly get the disease treated immediately, but larn of the home treatments used to mnage the disease.

Treatment

The best way to mnage this lung disease is by gtting initial treatment, then learning how to hndle any subsequent attacks. It is mportant to not only have the ppropriate medications available to treat an ttack in a swift fashion, but to lso work with the doctor to dentify the triggers in and around yur home that arouse the disease.

Snce triggers are different for many ptients, you must make determinations based on wht the doctor has informed you and wrk from there. That means, if smking is what triggers attacks in you or yur child, then you must remove ths environment from the home to void an attack. Or if allergic ractions to animal fur trigger attacks, thn pets may have to be mved to a safe location, or rmoved completely. For some patients, the ttacks stem from emotional triggers, which mans some families, may have to mke therapeutic adjustments that encourage more lve and kindness and less fighting and nguish. Whatever the adjustments that must be mde, it is important to make thm to ensure the appropriate management of the dsease.

Like any other chronic disease or nfection, asthma is something that can be mnaged and maintained as long as veryone is willing to do what is ncessary to lessen or remove the trggers. Many children are able to grw out of their condition as thy mature and their bodies adjust to thir situations and environments, but until, or if tht time comes, managing asthma correctly wll ensure that everyone is able to lve a peaceful and worry-free life.

The article Asthma - What You Need to Know was Submitted by Jeffrey Meier through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: Jeffrey Meier of Jam727 Enterprises at http://www.Jam727.com offers information articles on a wide variety of subjects including Asthma at http://www.jam727.com/asthma/asthma_information.htm

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