What’s an Asthma Attack All About?

Asthma is an increasingly common health condition in modern society. You’ve almost certainly heard of it. But unless you actually suffer from the problem, you might not know what actually transpires during an asthma attack. If you suspect you have asthma, or just want to know more about it, here’s some important information.

There are several typical symptoms of an asthma attack. These include coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. This is a severe condition, and can be fatal if you don’t learn to manage it.

What causes an asthma attack? It’s different for everyone. Well known triggers include allergic substances like pollen, dust, environmental pollution, chemicals and smoke. Indeed, allergies and asthma often go hand in hand. There are also other factors that can set off an asthma attack, including exercise, cold air, pressure changes, and viral infections.

The site of an asthma attack is the airways leading to the lungs. There’s a muscle located outside the airway that controls when it opens and closes. You don’t have any control over this muscle; it’s totally automatic. However, it can be caused to tighten by certain irritants or external conditions, as mentioned earlier. If you suffer from asthma, the muscle tends to overreact to the irritants, and you’ll experience an asthma attack.

When the muscle tightens, the airway narrows. As well, a build up of mucus takes place, and at the same time the lining becomes inflamed and starts to swell. Normally, mucus in the airways is perfectly natural since it assists in the movement of air into the lungs. However, during an asthma attack, mucus production increases considerably, and it clogs the airway.

This sticky mucus makes it very difficult to breathe. The asthma attack won’t end until the mucus is cleared away. So it’s essential that you manage your symptoms quickly with a medication that has been prescribed by your doctor.

Sometimes an attack will last just a few minutes. A severe attack, though, can go on for hours or days. There will be intervals where you might not experience any symptoms, but they will soon return if you don’t receive the proper medication.

It’s important to check with your doctor right away if you think you have asthma. Tests will be run in order to make an accurate diagnosis. As well, they’ll try to figure out what’s triggering the attacks. When you’ve established the factors that trigger your attacks, it’s critical that you do your best to avoid them. You’ll need to work closely with your doctor and follow the prescribed asthma treatments if you want to prevent future attacks. The attacks can be deadly, so don’t ignore your symptoms.