symptoms and causes of asthma

Asthma treatments exist various methods and ways to overcome this disease, but most people begin to use herbal medicine in the treatment of chemical or synthetic.
More detailed explanation about asthma: the language, asthma is a Greek origin, meaning difficulty breathing, and a common symptom of asthma is difficult to breathe and cough due to narrowing and blockage of blood vessels that flow into the chest cavity and lungs resulting in stagnant air flow, result in an asthmatic breathing difficulties.
In patients with asthma, if there is narrowing of the airways, it is the result of stimulation of the lung, this narrowing can occur for many reasons, such as dust, animal dander, smoke, air, hot and cold weather, etc..
When there is a sudden asthma attack, the muscles in the bronchi spasm and inflammation of the oral airways and the release of mucus into the airways. This makes the constriction that would make people with asthma experience shortness of breath.
Asthma can affect anyone, whether young children to the elderly, in which many affected children are under the age of 5 years and in adults over the attack which was 30 years and over.

Some of the reasons that cause asthma attacks.

• asthma triggers will lead to respiratory problems due to narrowing of the airways juice.
• Symptoms or a trigger will occur suddenly, lasts a while and can be cured immediately. but respiratory disorders will only occur when there has been a longstanding trade.
Asthma symptoms from the patient:
• the gender factor
• Factors allergy sufferers
• Genetic factors
• Factors descendants or race

The symptoms of the environment:
 
• Changes in extreme weather
• Patients who experience a sudden asthma attack.
• There was respiratory tract infection.
• Air pollution is bad.
• Secondhand smoke and cigarette smoke.
• Psychologically unstable patients.
• Allergies to certain foods or objects.
• Fast food contains a lot of dyes and preservatives.
• Dust the house.
• Mushrooms.
• Small animals such as cockroaches
• The main causes of asthma:
• At night, frequent coughing or coughing while experiencing a great move.
• Get out the mucus from the mouth when coughing.
• Breath sounds like a whistling sound.

Similarly, asthma is a brief explanation about the symptoms, and tips on how to treat asthma I will discuss later.
thank you

»» Read More

MMWR Vital Signs: Asthma In The U.S.

 

 

 

# 5536

 

Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes that makes them swell, narrowing the airways, which can seriously affect a person’s ability to breathe.

 

While most people with asthma are able to control their condition with proper medications (CDC "You Can Control Your Asthma"), more than half of those with Asthma in 2008 reported attacks.  

 

Asthma triggers like tobacco smoke, mold, pet dander, outdoor air pollution, colds and flu, etc. can suddenly bring on a potentially life threatening episode. Asthma claims about 9 lives each day in the US.

 

And for reasons that are not completely understood, Asthma is on the rise in the United States.

 

Back in 2001, 1 in 14 people (about 20 million) had asthma, compared with 1 in 12 (about 25 million) reporting asthma in 2009.

 

Today the CDC’s  MMWR has released a new Vital Signs Report and this month’s topic is Asthma in the US.

 

First the link to the MMWR report, then a link and some excerpts from the Vital Signs Report.

 

Vital Signs: Asthma Prevalence, Disease Characteristics, and Self-Management Education --- United States, 2001--2009

Early Release

May 3, 2011 / 60(Early Release);1-7

Abstract (EXCERPTS)

Methods: CDC analyzed asthma data from the 2001--2009 National Health Interview Survey concerning children and adults, and from the 2001, 2005, and 2009 state-based Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System concerning adults.

Results: Among persons of all ages, the prevalence of asthma increased from 7.3% (20.3 million persons) in 2001 to 8.2% (24.6 million persons) in 2009, a 12.3% increase. Prevalence among children (persons aged <18 years) was 9.6%, and was highest among poor children (13.5%) and among non-Hispanic black children (17.0%). Prevalence among adults was 7.7%, and was greatest in women (9.7%) and in adults who were poor (10.6%).

More uninsured persons with asthma than insured could not afford to buy prescription medications (40.3% versus 11.5%), and fewer uninsured persons reported seeing or talking with a primary-care physician (58.8% versus 85.6%) or specialist (19.5% versus 36.9%).

Among persons with asthma, 34.2% reported being given a written asthma action plan, and 68.1% had been taught the appropriate response to symptoms of an asthma attack. Only about one third of children or adults were using long-term control medicine such as inhaled corticosteroids at the time of the survey.

(Continue . . .)

 

There are wide regional variations in the incidence of asthma reported around the country, as evidenced by the Vital Signs map below.

 

 

For more background we turn to the Vital Signs report.

 

Asthma is a lifelong disease that causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. It can limit a person's quality of life. While we don't know why asthma rates are rising, we do know that most people with asthma can control their symptoms and prevent asthma attacks by avoiding asthma triggers and correctly using prescribed medicines, such as inhaled corticosteroids.

 

The number of people diagnosed with asthma grew by 4.3 million from 2001 to 2009. From 2001 through 2009 asthma rates rose the most among black children, almost a 50% increase. Asthma was linked to 3,447 deaths (about 9 per day) in 2007. Asthma costs in the US grew from about $53 billion in 2002 to about $56 billion in 2007, about a 6% increase. Greater access to medical care is needed for the growing number of people with asthma.

Latest Findings

Asthma is increasing every year in the US.

Too many people have asthma.

• The number of people with asthma continues to grow. One in 12 people (about 25 million, or 8% of the population) had asthma in 2009, compared with 1 in 14 (about 20 million, or 7%) in 2001.
• More than half (53%) of people with asthma had an asthma attack in 2008. More children (57%) than adults (51%) had an attack. 185 children and 3,262 adults died from asthma in 2007.
• About 1 in 10 children (10%) had asthma and 1 in 12 adults (8%) had asthma in 2009. Women were more likely than men and boys more likely than girls to have asthma.
• About 1 in 9 (11%) non-Hispanic blacks of all ages and about 1 in 6 (17%) of non-Hispanic black children had asthma in 2009, the highest rate among racial/ethnic groups.
• The greatest rise in asthma rates was among black children (almost a 50% increase) from 2001 through 2009.

 

(Continue . . . )

You’ll find a downloadable version of this page available as a 4-page PDF file.  You’ll also find links to related information, including audio podcasts.

 

Related Pages

• Vital Signs Issue details: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
• Asthma – What You Need to Know [PODCAST - 01:19 minutes]
• Asthma – What You Need to Know [PSA - 0:60 seconds]

»» Read More

Of Mice and Men - And The Hygienic Hypothesis

 

 

# 5142

 

 

Note: The `Hygienic Hypothesis’ – while something I personally find fascinating to write about - remains an unproven theory, and so what follows needs to be taken in that light.

 

Similarly, mouse studies, while often useful in medical research, don’t always predict what happens in human physiology.

 

 

In the past several weeks the hygienic hypotheses has made headlines a number of times, something I covered late last month in Study: Bisphenol A, Triclosan and The Hygienic Hypothesis, and Maryn McKenna wrote about here and here.

 

In brief, the `Hygienic Hypothesis’ is a theory that suggests some of the allergies and autoimmune diseases common to modern man come about due to a lack of exposure to certain biological agents (bacteria, viruses, and even parasites)  . . . particularly in early childhood.

 

Research over the past decade has increasingly linked the use of household cleaners (bleach, disinfectants, carpet cleaners, etc) and other chemicals (turpentine, insecticides, etc) to childhood onset asthma and allergies (see MedNews Today Asthma in kids linked to household cleaning products and chemicals).

 

Essentially, the hygienic hypothesis says we may be trying to be `too clean’ for our own good.

 

One of the more controversial aspects of this theory is that intestinal parasites (ie. worms) – which have been largely eliminated in the western world - are actually beneficial, and can help prevent (or even cure) certain types of inflammatory bowel disease.

 

NPR (along with many other media outlets) covered this story at length a couple of weeks ago (see Eat Your Worms: The Upside Of Parasites).

 

Today, a new study appears in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, that lends additional support to the hygienic hypothesis.

 

It looks at the protective effects of certain types of viral infections in suckling mice against adult onset asthma. Before you scoff, this research has a pretty impressive pedigree.

 

A link, and a couple of excerpts from the abstract (follow the link to read it in its entirety) follow:

 

Influenza infection in suckling mice expands an NKT cell subset that protects against airway hyperreactivity

Ya-Jen Chang, Hye Young Kim, Lee A. Albacker, Hyun Hee Lee, Nicole Baumgarth, Shizuo Akira, Paul B. Savage, Shin Endo, Takashi Yamamura, Janneke Maaskant, Naoki Kitano, Abel Singh, Apoorva Bhatt, Gurdyal S. Besra, Peter van den Elzen, Ben Appelmelk, Richard W. Franck, Guangwu Chen, Rosemarie H. DeKruyff, Michio Shimamura, Petr Illarionov, Dale T. Umetsu

J. Clin. Invest. 2010; doi:10.1172/JCI44845

Infection with influenza A virus represents a major public health threat worldwide, particularly in patients with asthma. However, immunity induced by influenza A virus may have beneficial effects, particularly in young children, that might protect against the later development of asthma, as suggested by the hygiene hypothesis.

 

Herein, we show that infection of suckling mice with influenza A virus protected the mice as adults against allergen-induced airway hyperreactivity (AHR), a cardinal feature of asthma.

 

<SNIP>

 

These findings suggest what we believe to be a novel pathway that can regulate AHR, and a new therapeutic strategy (treatment with glycolipid activators of this NKT cell population) for asthma.

 

Basically researchers infected 2-week old (suckling) mice and 8-week old (adult) mice with with the A/Mem71 (H3N1) influenza virus. Six weeks later both cohorts were tested for susceptibility to an asthma-like reaction.

 

Mice that were infected at 2-wks of age were protected against an asthma-like reaction.

 

Those infected as adults were not.

 

 

The reason given for this protective effect was an increase in certain types of NKT (natural killer T-cells) in baby mice post-infection, something which was not observed in the influenza-challenged adult mice.

 

Interestingly, the researchers also found that a molecule produced by the stomach bacteria Helicobacter pylori also produced a protective affect against asthma in adult mice, giving hopes for a new avenue of research into better treatments.

 

The article is lengthy, technical, and  open access. I’ve only scratched the bare surface with this overview. Those interested in learning more should follow this link to read the entire study.

 

Before anyone decides to eat worms, stop bathing, or move down to the city sewers for their health . . . remember:

 

The hygienic hypothesis is still just a theory.

»» Read More

Study: Asthma Is A Risk Factor For Pediatric Influenza Pneumonia

 

 

#4704

 

 

Childhood asthma has already been linked to a greater risk of complications from pandemic influenza, but today we’ve research that concludes that asthma increases the risk of developing influenza-related pneumonia even from seasonal flu.

 

 

The study appears in the July issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal and is called:

Influenza-Associated Pneumonia in Children Hospitalized With Laboratory-Confirmed Influenza, 2003-2008

Dawood, Fatimah S.; Fiore, Anthony; Kamimoto, Laurie; Nowell, Mackenzie; Reingold, Arthur; Gershman, Ken; Meek, James; Hadler, James; Arnold, Kathryn E.; Ryan, Patricia; Lynfield, Ruth; Morin, Craig; Baumbach, Joan; Zansky, Shelley; Bennett, Nancy M.; Thomas, Ann; Schaffner, William; Kirschke, David; Finelli, Lyn; for the Emerging Infections Program (EIP) Network

Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 29(7):585-590, July 2010.

doi: 10.1097/INF.0b013e3181d411c5

Abstract (Excerpts)

Results: Overall, 2992 hospitalized children with influenza with a chest radiograph were identified; 1072 (36%) had influenza-associated pneumonia.

 

When compared with children hospitalized with influenza without pneumonia, hospitalized children with influenza-associated pneumonia were more likely to require intensive care unit admission (21% vs. 11%, P < 0.01), develop respiratory failure (11% versus 3%, P < 0.01), and die (0.9% vs. 0.3% P = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, age 6 to 23 months (adjusted OR: 2.1, CI: 1.6–2.8), age 2 to 4 years (adjusted OR: 1.7, CI: 1.3–2.2), and asthma (adjusted OR: 1.4, CI: 1.1–1.8) were significantly associated with influenza-associated pneumonia.

 

Conclusions: Hospitalized children with influenza-associated pneumonia were more likely to have a severe clinical course than other hospitalized children with influenza, and children aged 6 months to 4 years and those with asthma were more likely to have influenza-associated pneumonia . . . .

Since this study is behind a pay wall, those without a subscription may wish to read additional details in the press release (which I’ve excerpted) below.

 

Asthma Is Key Risk Factor for Pneumonia in Children with Influenza

Released: 7/7/2010 9:00 AM EDT

Younger Children Are Also at Higher Risk

Newswise — Children with asthma are at increased risk of developing pneumonia as a complication of influenza, reports a study in the July issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.

 

Infants and children less than five years old are also at higher risk of developing pneumonia while hospitalized for influenza, according to the new study, led by Dr Fatimah S. Dawood of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Findings May Help in Targeting Children at Highest Risk

<SNIP>

The new study finds that asthma is a risk factor for pneumonia in children hospitalized for influenza. This is especially important since children with asthma are more likely to develop influenza in the first place. In the study, asthma was the most common pre-existing condition, present in nearly one-fourth of children.

 

The results also show that children with pneumonia have a more severe clinical course, including higher rates of mechanical ventilation and death. The authors note that most of the children in the study did not receive antiviral medications such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu), which can improve influenza outcomes if given early enough.

 

Dr. Dawood and co-authors also point out that less than half of children in the study had received yearly influenza vaccinations, which are recommended for most children over six months old. The researchers hope their results "will help to identify children who might benefit most from early antiviral treatment and inform the development of prevention strategies that target children at risk for severe influenza complications."

(Continue. . . )

»» Read More