Living with Asthma: To breathe or not to breathe

[Name of dthe Institution]

Abstract

Asthma has been considered as one of the most common diease that tends to affect people belonging to all age groups. This condition normally starts from a very young age and can flare up at any point in time. It is a chronic disease and so far no cure for this conditions has been found by the medical researchers as it is more like a condition than a disease that stays with the person through entire life span. The condition can be controlled by taking precaution and controlling the factors that add to the severity of this condition. This disease is reported to affect around 25 million people in America, out of which 7 million are children that adds to the severity of this chronic illness. The aim of this paper is to develop a clear understanding of this chronic condition from a medical perspective, analyze data and statistics of certain area and discuss research projects related to the disease. In then end interventions and community programs will be discussed to come up with possible available solutions to deal with this asthma.

Living with Asthma: To breathe or not to breathe

Introduction

The National Heart Lung and Blood Instituted has defined Asthma as a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. Coughing has been reported to occur mostly in the night time or early morning (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, 2012).

Discussion

Asthma from Medical Perspective

In addition to the definition of the disease it is important to understand the mechanism of airways and lungs to develop better understanding of this illness. The airways are basically present in the form of tube and their job is to bring in air in and out from the lungs. There is inflammation and swelling of the airways in people suffering from this condition and this make the process of breathing much more complicated for them. Since they are swollen and inflamed they also become sensitive and react strongly towards certain exposures (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, 2012). The situations or substances that can aggravate or trigger asthma includes exercise, infection, allergens like pollen, pollution or other irritants in the air, exposure to chemical during work (National Heart Lund and Blood Institute, 2007). In the process of reaction toward certain inhaled substances in the air or exposure to certain situations, the muscles of the airway contract and tighten. The tightening of the muscle does not allow for air to flow freely and makes it difficult for the person to breathe comfortably. In addition to this the swelling of the airways makes the space in airway much more narrower and aggravated the situation by triggering severity of this condition and already tightened muscles. During this condition, the cells present in the airways starts producing a stick substance called mucous. This production of mucous adds to ...