Over 24 million Americans and their families are affected by asthma, which is a condition involving the lungs that can be life threatening. This condition causes the airways in your lungs to be very sensitive to substances, such as tobacco smoke, dust, chemicals, and pollen, or to getting a cold or the flu. These are called asthma “triggers,” because your immune system overreacts to them by triggering the release of cells and chemicals. Your asthma triggers can be very different from another person’s triggers. When a person with asthma is exposed to an asthma trigger, one or all of the following actions could occur:
- The inner linings of the airways become more inflamed (swollen), leaving even less room in the airways for the air to move through.
- The muscles surrounding the airways get bigger and tighten. This squeezes the airways and makes them smaller. (This is called bronchospasm.)
- Glands in the airways produce thick mucus, which further blocks the airways
You can control your asthma with your provider’s help in developing an ‘asthma action plan’. This is a treatment plan that includes the following:
- How to identify allergens or irritants to avoid
- How to know if you are having an asthma attack and what to do
- Which medicines to take and when to take them
- When to call your doctor or go to the emergency room
- Who to contact in an emergency
Although there is no cure for asthma, asthma can be controlled when patients and providers work together in managing medicines and environmental triggers.
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