Originally posted by C. C. CowgirlOk. Give me a minute...
[b]Inform me 😄 I love to learn things 🙂 [/B]
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Ah. Here we go. Asthma:
Asthma is a chronic (long-term) disease that makes it hard to breathe. At its worst, asthma can be fatal. For example, in 2003, asthma killed 287 Canadians 1. Asthma can't be cured, but it can be managed. With proper treatment, people with asthma can lead normal, active lives.
If you have asthma, your airways (breathing passages) are extra sensitive. When you are around certain things, your extra-sensitive airways can:
Become red and swollen - your airways get inflamed inside. They fill up with mucus. The swelling and mucus make your airways narrower, so it's harder for the air to pass through.
Become "twitchy" and go into spasm - the muscles around your airways squeeze together and tighten. This makes your airways narrower, leaving less room for the air to pass through.
The more red and swollen your airways are, the more twitchy they become.
Many different things can set off your asthma symptoms. Each person with asthma has her own set of asthma inducers and asthma triggers.
Asthma inducers: If you breathe in something you're allergic to- for example, dust or pollen- or if you have a viral infection- for example, a cold or the flu- your airways can become inflamed (red and swollen).
Asthma triggers: If you breathe in an asthma trigger like cold air or smoke, or if you exercise, the muscles around your airways can go into spasm and squeeze together tightly. This leaves less room for air to pass through.
It's important for every person with asthma to know what they triggers and inducers are, so they can avoid them.
What causes asthma? Who is at risk of getting it?
Doctors know that there are some things that make a person more likely to get asthma:
Family history: if people in your family have allergic diseases like asthma, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), or eczema, there is a higher chance you will have asthma.
Air pollution indoors and out: some research shows that people who live near major highways and other polluted places are more likely to get asthma. Also, kids who grow up in a home with mould or dust may be more likely to get asthma.
Work-related asthma (occupational exposure): People who work in certain types of jobs can get asthma from things they work with. For example:
Laboratory workers can get asthma from lab animals: rats, mice, guinea-pigs
Spray painters can get asthma from isocyanates
Grain handlers can get asthma from grain dust
Crab processors can get asthma from crab dust
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, a government agency, offers more information on occupational asthma.
Second-hand smoke: Kids whose mothers smoked while pregnant, who grow up in a smoky house, or whose grandmothers smoked, are all more likely to get asthma.