what is asthma
If you have asthma, you're not alone. More than five million people in
the UK have asthma - including over a million children and young
people. But don't worry. With the right medicine, support and advice,
you can have a full and active life.
Asthma is a condition that makes it harder to breathe. It affects the tiny tubes in your lungs called airways that carry air in and out of your body. If you have asthma your airways are almost always inflamed (red and swollen). When these inflamed airways come into contact with an asthma trigger (things like furry or feathery pets, cigarette smoke and pollen) they become narrower and often produce sticky mucus, making it harder to breathe.
- How do I know if I have asthma?
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If you have asthma you may find that:
- you cough, particularly at night or after exercise
- your chest feels tight
- you get short of breath even when you are not exercising
- you wheeze (make a whistling sound from your chest) when you breathe in and out.
If you are having difficulty with your breathing you should go to see your doctor who will be able to tell you whether you have asthma.
- Why do I have asthma?
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You can't catch asthma from other people - it is not an infectious disease. If your mum or dad have an allergy, such as asthma, eczema or hay fever you are more likely to develop asthma. Scientists are trying to find out what causes asthma but at the moment we don't know exactly why some people have difficulty with their breathing.
- Is it serious?
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Everybody's asthma is different. Some young people have very mild asthma and hardly ever get any symptoms. Others may have more severe asthma that means they have to take time off school or even go into hospital.
- What should I do if I have asthma?
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Most of all - don't worry! There is no cure for asthma, but there are lots of things that you can do to make your asthma symptoms better. Your doctor or nurse can tell you all about the ways that can help you breathe easier. And if you follow their advice there's no reason why you won't be able to do all the things that you want to do.
- What treatments are there?
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If you have asthma there are some very safe and effective medicines that will help you to breathe more easily. Most asthma medicines come in a device called an inhaler. You can use an inhaler to breathe in your medicine so that it reaches your lungs quickly and starts to make them better.
There are two main types of medicine used to make your asthma symptoms better - relievers and preventers.
Relievers
Everyone with asthma should have a reliever inhaler. When you get asthma symptoms a reliever inhaler (usually blue) will help to relax the muscles around your airways, making it easier to breathe again. You should keep your reliever inhaler with you all the time ? then you can take a puff whenever you have difficulty with your breathing.
Preventers
Preventer inhalers (usually brown or orange) help to soothe and calm the inflammation in your airways. Preventer medicine can help to make your airways less irritable. This means that you will be less likely to have difficulty breathing when you come into contact with an asthma trigger. If your doctor gives you a preventer inhaler you should take it regularly - even if you are feeling well. Although the preventer will make you feel better, it does not make your asthma go away altogether. So you will need to take your preventer regularly to keep your lungs healthy and strong.
There are lots of different kinds of inhalers to choose from. It's important that you feel comfortable using your inhalers. If you're having difficulties, don't be afraid to ask your doctor or nurse to show you how to use them again, or, if that doesn't work, ask if you can try other kinds of inhaler.
Spacers
A spacer is a plastic container with a mouthpiece at one end and a hole for the aerosol inhaler at the other. When you press your inhaler the fine spray of medicine is trapped inside the spacer ready for you to breathe it in. Spacers are important because they help to deliver medicine straight to your lungs. Spacers only work with an aerosol inhaler and come in different shapes and sizes - if you have one of these your doctor or nurse will show you how it works.
- What about side effects?
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All medicines carry a risk of side effects in some people. But the main asthma medicines used today have been proven to be safe. Very few people who take them experience any problems. Unlike some medicines, they are not addictive.
Your reliever treatment will have very few side effects. Sometimes, high doses can slightly increase your heartbeat or make your hands feel a bit shaky, but this will wear off after a few minutes.
Your preventer treatment will usually contain a steroid, but this is nothing to worry about. Corticosteroids, a copy of the steroids that are produced naturally in our bodies, are a very safe and effective treatment for asthma. They are not the same as the steroids that have been misused by some athletes and body-builders.
If you use a preventer inhaler, there is a small risk of developing a sore throat or husky voice. You can avoid this by using your inhaler before brushing your teeth and by rinsing out your mouth afterwards. Using a spacer device will also reduce your chances of these side effects. - Will I always have asthma?
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You may find that your asthma gets better as you get older, but this is not always the case. If your asthma is mild it is more likely to get better. You may find that your asthma is better for a few years and just comes back now and again. The good news is that there are lots of things that you can do so your asthma does not interfere with your life. Talk to your doctor or nurse about the different ways you can take control of your asthma.
What else can I do to make my asthma better?
As well as taking your asthma medicine as your doctor tells you, you should also try to avoid the things that make your asthma worse. These are called asthma triggers.
Everybody's asthma is different but most people have several different asthma triggers. If you find that you start to cough or get short of breath when you are near a cat, or when you are standing next to someone who is smoking, it is likely that these things are triggering your asthma.
Some of the main asthma triggers are pets, colds and flu, exercise, pollen, house-dust mites and cigarette smoke. It may be difficult at first to work out what makes your asthma worse. Your doctor or nurse can help you to find out what your triggers are and tell you how best to avoid them. - What should I do if my asthma gets very bad?
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Even if you are good at looking after your asthma you may find that things can go wrong from time to time and you have an asthma attack. Everybody's asthma is different but the most common signs of an asthma attack are symptoms getting worse (cough, wheeze or tight chest), your reliever not helping, or being too breathless to speak, eat or sleep.
When you have an asthma attack your airways are very irritated and swollen. You need to relax the muscles in your airways quickly by taking your reliever inhaler.- Take two puffs of your reliever (blue) inhaler straight away. Take them one at a time and always use a spacer if you have one.
- Tell someone that you are not feeling well. Don't worry about bothering them, even at night.
- Keep calm and try to relax. It's difficult to relax when you're feeling unwell but it's really important not to panic.
- Sit down and rest your hands on your knees. It will be easier to breathe sitting rather than lying down.
- Continue to take one puff of your reliever inhaler every minute for five minutes or until you feel better.
- If you don't feel any better you should call - or ask someone to call - 999 or a doctor urgently. Keep taking your reliever inhaler every few minutes until help arrives.
There are four main things to remember to enable you to take control of your asthma:
- get and take the right treatment
- understand and avoid your triggers
- learn to recognise when your asthma is getting out of control
- know what to do if you have an asthma attack.