An understanding why you have asthma and what is happening in your lungs that causes coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath will help you control this chronic problem and minimize its adverse effects on your life.
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic disease involving the airways in the lungs. The airways, also known as bronchial tubes or breathing tubes, permit air containing oxygen to pass in and out of the lungs. When you have asthma, even in the absence of symptoms, your airways are inflamed. This chronic inflammation (called bronchial hyperreactivity) makes your airway sensitive to things that would not otherwise irritate them. Such things include viral respiratory infections, exercise, smoke and other forms of air pollution, allergens, sleep, cold air, and even laughter. If you are sensitive to one or more of these, they may trigger an asthma “attack” by causing muscles in your airways to contract, mucous-producing cells to secrete lots of thick phlegm, and the walls that form your airway to swell with fluid. These three things – bronchial muscle spasm, mucous secretion, and airway swelling - cause narrowing of your airway making it harder to breathe in and much harder to breathe out and resulting in these symptoms:
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Shortness of Breath
- Chest Tightness
Types of Asthma
Asthma can be caused by many different triggers. Forms of asthma include:
- Exercise-induced Bronchoconstriction - This is also known as exercise-induced asthma. Symptoms of chest tightness, coughing and wheezing begin after a few minutes of aerobic exercise like running or swimming.
- Allergic Asthma – Symptoms of asthma occur with exposure to the allergens to which a person is sensitive. Common allergic triggers include house dust mites, animal dander or hair, mold spores and tree, weed and grass pollen.
- Occupational Asthma - This is caused by inhaling fumes, gases, dust, or other harmful substances while on the job.
- Childhood Asthma - A majority of children who develop asthma usually do so after the age of three.
What is an Asthma Attack?
Asthma attacks occur when an asthma trigger causes airway wall swelling, airway muscle contraction (called bronchospasm), and increases mucous production. The symptoms of an asthma attack include coughing, wheezing, labored breathing, and chest tightness or a sensation of a weight on the chest. Coughing occurs to assist the airway in cleansing itself of the burden of increased, thick phlegm. Wheezing is the sound air makes as it moves past globs of mucous in the narrowed airway. Because airways are narrowed during an asthma attack greater physical effort is required to inflate and empty the lungs. This additional effort causes fatigue resulting in labored breathing and chest tightness. Asthma attacks are generally brought on by exposure to a trigger such as:
- Allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, cockroaches, molds, and pollens
- Tobacco Smoke
- Air Pollution
- Respiratory infections, especially viral respiratory infections
- Cold air
- Polluted air
- Stress
Knowing the triggers that adversely affect your breathing is an important step to controlling your asthma.