Did you know (My Experience of Asthma)

Member Name: Karenwilson

Product:	My Experience of Asthma
Date:	28/02/01 (490 review reads)
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** UPDATE **

I have added some additional facts and information to my opinion. I hope it makes some interesting reading for all you Asthma sufferers out there.

Asthma is a disease, which causes inflammation and swelling of the airways. There are four main symptoms, which are wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and the shortness of breath. The airways of asthmatics are almost always red and inflammed.

Two medicine types Preventers and Relievers can control asthma and below I have described the benefits both offer.

~~ Relievers ~~

These are in the form of inhalers and are blue in colour, these are to ease the symptoms of chest tightening and work immediately by relaxing the muscle spasms and makes it easier to breathe. A few years ago when I did not have my asthma under control I would take quite a few a day, I will not say how much as I am too embarrassed by it. Any way the tip I have if you take too many relievers in one day is to drink as much water as possible as this helps to flush it out from your body. Taking too many relievers in one day can give you the serious shakes and also an upset stomach. So beware do not let the asthma get out of control see the doctor and they may prescribe some thing that suits your needs.

~~ Preventers ~~

These are different from the relievers because they help prevent the symptoms of asthma and do not take immediate affect in relieving an attack. These are to be taken in conjunction with the relievers and they work by protecting the lining of the airways. They are to be taken daily and your doctor will choose what dose is right for your needs. I changed my medication from Pulimcort to Qvar 50 last year. I have not noticed and change in my asthma but they do sometimes advise changing medication just to try the new varieties on offer.

If you have ever been into hospital for an asthma attack like I have on many occasions they usually put you on a machin
e called a Nebuliser. You wear a mask and it delivers a fine mist into your lungs giving immediate relief. Once they have controlled the attack, if it is not too severe the doctor will then prescribe a short dose of steroids or you may have a stay in hospital. I have done both and when I stayed in hospital the treatment and care I got was 100%.

~~ Smoking in pregnancy ~~

In 1992 a team of researchers from Nottingham used information from 15,000 children and the scientists found a link between maternal smoking and the development of asthma. Children of mothers who smoked 25+ during and soon after pregnancy had over 30% more chance of developing asthma than those children whose mothers did not smoke. If there are any pregant mothers reading this whilst smoking a cigarette, I do hope I have made you feel guilty.

~~ Breastfeeding ~~

Now this information has really surprised me and I now no longer feel guilty for not breast-feeding my young daughter. Scientists from Arizona have found that babies who were breast-fed by asthmatic mothers were more likely to get the disease.

~~ Baby Sniffles ~~

Munich scientists studied 1,300 children between the ages of 0 - 7 years abd they found that those who had a least two colds in the first year of life halved the chance of developing asthma by the age of 7.

~~ Do you cook with gas? ~~

Researchers have also found a direct link between cooking with gas and lung inflammation. Apparently cooking with gas may trigger some peoples asthma symptoms due to the release of nitrogen dioxide. The latest study showed that particles released during cooking could lead to inflammation of the lungs and induce an asthma attack.

Below I have found some interesting facts about asthma and some can be quite worrying.

3.4 million people have asthma in the UK.

The house-dust mite is the number one asthma trigger and it affects around 85% of sufferers.
The way to deal with this is to hoover your bed at least once a week and turn the mattress frequently.

80% of people say that tobacco smoke makes their symptoms worse.

85% of attacks are related to viral infections such as cold and flu. They advise that you get vaccinated against the flu.

A child has a 60-70% chance of developing asthma if both their parents have an allergy.

Unfortunately only one-third of people ever outgrow asthma.

In the UK, almost half the people who suffer with asthma experience significant symptoms that disrupt their every day lives.

Another interesting fact is that every six minutes someone is admitted to hospital because of his or her asthma and alarmingly every six hours someone dies of it.


~~ Cure ~~

To date there is no cure but they are currently researching indoor/outdoor pollutions, allergies and gene therapy.

They have also found a link between a white blood cell called Eotaxin which causes inflammation of the airways and asthma. They are currently developing a drug that can prevent the action of Eotaxin and this will be the anti-asthma treatment of the future.

To finish my opinion off I will tell you a little bit about myself and asthma. I have been a sufferer since the age of 5 and I am now ONLY 31!! There have been times when it has been out of control and with the help of my doctor she has got me back on track with it and I now have very few attacks (touch wood!!) and my lungs have got much stronger. I really listen to them when they give me advice about controlling it but when I was a teenager I could not be bothered with the medication I thought it was an irritation and I was far too busy to take them. I found out the hard way and spent several days in hospital.

What always sticks in my mind was over hearing a conversation between two pupils at my school. I had just won a running race (easily I may add) and they were
surprised that I was even running especially suffering from asthma. I was so hurt by this but now I am older and wiser (remember not too old) I now realise how blinkered they were about the disease. There is a lot of famous sportsman and women that have asthma yet compete for our country. I take regular exercise and the benefits to my asthma are phenomenal.

My advice for all you asthmatics out there go and enjoy life and live it to the full.

I found out all this information by looking up the web sites relating to Asthma studies. At the bottom of this opinion I have also listed an asthma helpline for your information.

Asthma helpline: 0845 701 0203.

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