Whereas hayfever is a reaction to an airborne allergen occurring in the eyes, nose and throat, asthma is a reaction to an airborne allergen occurring in the lungs and chest. Asthma can range from mild to life-threatening and is frequently precipitated by airborne pollen, seeds, pollutants or chemicals. It may also be triggered by emotional stress, infections and by vigorous outdoor exercise in cold weather. It is a common occupational disease among farmers, meat wrappers, bakers, cotton textile workers and others exposed to chemicals. Most of all, it is a disease of childhood and gradually disappears with advancing age.
The underlying cause of asthma is an exaggerated immune response to an airborne allergen and is identical to that just described under “Allergic Rhinitis.”
The result is that when airways to the lungs are semi-five to an allergen, smooth muscles in the bronchial walls contract and constrict access of air to the lungs. Breathing difficulty results. Besides a tightness in the chest, and a shortness of breath, asthma symptoms often include a wheezing, unproductive cough. Attacks are sporadic and severity vanes widely from one attack to the next. Severe attacks may cause breathing difficulties so intense that the lips turn blue, the pulse beats rapidly and the person sweats with anxiety.
Overall, asthma can range in severity from relatively mild cases which require no lifestyle restriction to life-endangering attacks which restrict many of the activities a person may engage in. Asthma often seems to run in families and sufferers are also often plagued by eczema or hayfever.
Although asthma is not medically curable, it can be relieved by OTC and prescription prophylactics, bronchodilators or steroid drugs. Since these drugs are stronger than those used to treat colds or flu, both OTC and prescription drugs are best taken under the guidance of a physician.
Much can be done to permanently relieve asthma by staying indoors during the pollen season and by removing the source of other offending allergens such as animal danders, hairs, feathers and household dust. Since asthma is basically caused by an exaggerated immune response, the one best way to overcome it permanently is to adopt the therapies for bolstering immunocompetence.
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