Health
ASTHMA BASICS
What triggers an asthma attack?Asthma is a chronic breathing disorder characterized by recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing. Some causes and triggers are common to all people with asthma, and some are more individual. Although the fundamental causes of asthma are not completely understood, the strongest risk factors for developing asthma are inhaled asthma triggers. These include:
Other triggers can include cold air, extreme emotional arousal such as anger or fear, and physical exercise. In some people, asthma can even be triggered by certain medications, such as aspirin and other non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs, and beta-blockers (which are used to treat high blood pressure, heart conditions and migraine). Urbanization has also been associated with an increase in asthma, however the exact nature of this relationship is unclear. According to WHO estimates, 300 million people suffer from asthma globally and 255 000 people died of asthma in 2005. Although asthma cannot be cured, appropriate management can control the disorder and enable people to enjoy good quality of life. In addition, some children with milder forms of asthma outgrow their symptoms with age.
ASTHMA PREVENTION
Step 1: Know what triggers your asthma attacks. No two cases of asthma are identical and thousands of different irritants, from smog to air that's too cold, can cause an attack. Understand your personal circumstances, and try your best to avoid situations that bring a heightened probability of causing an asthma attack.Step 2: Don't smoke. While this is sound medical advice for anyone, asthma or no asthma, it is particularly important that asthma sufferers take extra-good care of their lungs.
Step 3: Communicate with your doctor. Managing asthma requires you to co-operate with your doctor to assess your triggers and form a step-by-step plan to manage them. Your doctor can help you form an effective strategy for using your medications and to prevent acute attacks, as well as recognizing situations that cause lung and bronchial irritation.
Step 4: Use a breathing monitor. Many asthma sufferers use a home peak airflow meter to measure their optimal breathing capacity, so that in the event that their breathing becomes compromised, they can recognize the decrease in airflow immediately. This is particularly important because your lung functioning can sometimes be impaired even if you aren't showing any symptoms of restricted breathing or an impending attack.
Step 5: Learn to spot the warning signs of a pending asthma attack. Even the slightest shortness of breath, cough or wheeze might be a sign that an asthma attack is pending. Keep your medication handy and treat any difficulty breathing early, so as to prevent the onset of a more severe attack. Acting early to treat an attack also allows you to cut down on the amount of medication that you need to use to relieve your symptoms. This will allow for better long-term management of your condition.
Tips & Warnings
The long-term use of medication to treat asthma carries some serious side effects. The best way to avoid over-reliance on asthma medication is to prevent attacks in the first place. An asthma attack can result in a life-threatening situation. Seek emergency medical attention if you have a severe attack or if your medication does not provide you with relief.Dengue Fever>>
in this section
- Main Page
- Global Warming
- Health
- WildLife
Going Green & Healthy
NanHua High School Infocomm Club aims to promote Health and Environmental awareness to everyone through the Global SchoolNet: Doors To Diplomacy Competition,Category 7:Health and Environmental Awareness Issues.
We hope to save our Mother Earth by educating people to reducing pollution.This will prevent environmental issues, as well as health issues such as , dengue fever.
We will also talk about certain health issues here.
useful references
