What is asthma?
Asthma is a condition in which the breathing passages (airways) in your lungs get narrow. When the airways are narrow, it's hard to breathe. Breathing often makes a squeaky musical sound called wheezing.
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Asthma happens in attacks that come and go
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Exercise, stress, or breathing dust in the air can trigger asthma attacks
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You wheeze and feel short of breath during an asthma attack
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Asthma attacks vary from mild to severe to life threatening
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During an asthma attack, you can take medicine that quickly opens your airway
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To prevent asthma attacks, stay away from things that trigger your asthma
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Some people take medicine to help prevent attacks
What causes asthma?
During an asthma attack, several things make your breathing passages narrow. The lining of your breathing passages swells up. Your airways fill with thick fluid (mucus). The muscles around your breathing passages tighten, which helps close off your airways.
Asthma usually runs in families and starts in childhood, but it can start at any time of life.
In people who have asthma, many things can trigger an attack. If you don't have asthma, these triggers won't cause you to get asthma.
Common asthma triggers include:
Other things are triggers only in some people:
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Cold air
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Acid reflux (GERD), which allows stomach acid to get in your airway
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Aspirin—this is usually in people with severe asthma
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Sulfites (preservatives used in some wine and foods)
What are the symptoms of an asthma attack?
Usually you feel fine until an attack starts. Attacks can be mild or severe.
Asthma symptoms may last for minutes, hours, or days. Most people recover with the right treatment, even from severe asthma attacks. However, asthma attacks can be fatal.
Common asthma symptoms:
Sometimes coughing is the only symptom you’ll have.
Symptoms of a severe asthma attack include:
If you have any of these symptoms, call for emergency medical help (dial 911 in the United States) or go to a hospital emergency room right away.
A severe attack is life-threatening. You need fast, professional treatment. If you get severe asthma attacks, wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace. Always carry a cell phone to call 911 for emergency help.
How can doctors tell if I have asthma?
Doctors will usually suspect asthma based on your symptoms. To tell for sure if you have asthma, they’ll:
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Do breathing tests (called pulmonary function tests) to measure how well your lungs work
If tests show you have asthma, doctors will try to figure out what's causing it. In particular, they'll try to see if you have any allergies.
If you're having a severe attack, doctors will usually also check the level of oxygen in your blood. Sometimes they'll do a chest x-ray.
How do doctors treat asthma?
To treat mild asthma attacks yourself:
For severe asthma attacks, call 911 for emergency medical help or go to a hospital right away. Doctors will use medicine to quickly open your airways and may also:
Doctors usually use a medicine called albuterol for the bronchodilator, but sometimes they combine it with ipratropium as a second bronchodilator. If you're having too much trouble breathing to use a nebulizer, doctors may give you a shot of epinephrine, which is a fast-acting bronchodilator.
If the asthma attack is very severe, doctors may need to:
Doctors use many different medicines to treat asthma. They may give you the medicine using:
It is very important to use the inhaler or nebulizer the right way or the medicine won't reach your airways. Your doctor or health care worker can teach you the right way to use these devices.
Metered-dose inhalers
Metered-dose inhalers are the most common way to get asthma medicines. They turn a dose of medicine into a fine spray that you can breathe in.
It's best to use a spacer or holding chamber to get the right amount of medicine to your lungs. Inhalers are small enough to carry in a purse or backpack.
