Asthma

Asthma is a disease affecting the respiratory system. It is a chronic disease, which means it requires lifelong medical support. It affects various parts of the lungs and causes several difficulties in breathing, such as coughing, sneezing and shortness of breath. Asthma causes deformities in the airways of the lungs, i.e., the bronchioles. The bronchioles are pathways in our lungs which enable airflow. When you contract the disease, asthma causes your airways to inflate, which causes difficulty in breathing. Asthma disease occurs in several ways. We’ll go on to understand asthma information such as the types of asthma, the asthma causes, asthma symptoms and so on. 

Asthma Symptoms

The following are some of the symptoms of asthma disease. These asthma symptoms are crucial information for both patients as well as doctors for correct evaluation of the condition. 

A List of Asthma Symptoms is as Follows:

• Continuous coughing

• Pressure on the chest and sternum

• Difficulty in breathing/rapid breathing

• Wheezing

• Problems in talking

• Discoloured face

• Signs of fainting

• Blue lips and nails

All these symptoms point towards some breathing unease, which in most cases is asthma disease.

Asthma Causes 

Asthma causes a topic of profound speculation. Till date, researchers haven't come up with a specific purpose or any list of reasons for asthma. However, some activities and environmental factors point towards the onset of a breathing problem. These triggers are as follows:

• Infections in the airways which occur due to common cold or flu. These infections lead the bronchioles to inflammation, and they become full of mucus.

• Dust and other particles blocking the airways in the lungs.

• Pollutions/ exhaust from vehicles/ pollen.

• Certain types of medication.

• Sinusitis.

• Harmful activities such as smoking and problems such as untreated allergies.

These can be seen as asthma causes as they often trigger the onset of the disease. 

Asthma Diagnosis 

Doctors can easily detect asthma. The list of techniques employed are as follows:

• Spirometry: It is a test of how hard one can blow. An instrument called a spirometer measures the intensity of the air blown. 

• Exhaled Nitric Oxide: A hand-held machine measures the concentration of nitric oxide in the air that patients exhale. Higher levels are an indication of inflammation.

• Challenge Tests: In these tests, patients inhale two types of chemical in the form of powders or aerosols. These chemicals are mannitol and methacholine. The chemical narrows the pathways in the lungs only if it is suffering from asthma. Decreased lung activity during these tests points to a case of asthma.

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There are other tests held as well, which include chest x-rays and overall examination of breathing. Some tests can point out the types of asthma. We will learn these types next.

Types of Asthma 

The various types of asthma are as follows:

• Allergic asthma

• Asthma of the bronchioles

• Nocturnal asthma

• Asthma induced by exercise

• Steroid-resistant asthma, and

• Occupational asthma

These are the common types of asthma, and they have specific treatments.

Asthma Treatment 

Asthma doesn’t have any permanent solution or cure. However, medication helps in controlling the symptoms. Inhalers, nebulizer and corticosteroids are some quick-fix medicines and equipment for breathing problems.

Solved Examples 

1. What is asthma disease? 

Ans: Asthma is a disease of the respiratory tract. It is chronic and requires proper diagnosis. It affects the air pathways of the lungs, known as bronchioles and causes swelling in them. This swelling leads to difficulties in breathing, accompanied by a lot of other symptoms.

2. Is asthma of only one type?

Ans: No, just like a lot of other diseases, asthma has its own variations. It occurs in six different types ranging from allergic asthma to steroid-resistant asthma. Medical journals keep track of more recently discovered fluctuations and cures. 

Fun Facts 

• Asthma primarily affects children. However, interestingly in America, about 9% of the population suffer from asthma. Of these, about 6% are children, while the rest are all adults. 

• The global average statistics say that asthma prevalence in children is 9.4%, compared to 7.7% in adults. Similarly, it is more expressed in the female population.

• Weather conditions are often responsible for worsening asthma symptoms. Extremely dry and even extremely wet weather can trigger asthma attacks.

Quick Tips to Understand Asthma

Biology is a subject that some students find tough and some find it easy because it has more things to remember in this subject and there are practical things that are done in the lab. It is vast but it is an interesting subject. In order to ace in this chapter, students might follow the tips given below -

• Be Attentive in Class- 

Students might think they know the chapter on Asthma and might not be attentive to which they will be left behind with many doubts later or may not understand the chapter. So paying attention in classes always helps a student. It is the first step in understanding the chapter as a whole. 

• Read the Chapter- 

Students should keep in practice to always read or study the chapters after it is taught in the class. This will help the students to see whether they have understood the topic or not. It can be a lot to remember about Asthma, such as the symptoms, causes, diagnosis and treatment. In order to memorise the details, students should read the chapter thoroughly. 

• Write Down the Doubts  - 

After studying the topic of Asthma, students might have some doubts about which they should write them down so that they can ask their teacher later. 

• Make Notes - 

Students should always make notes while the teacher teaches in class. They can make the notes in short but in a way that they can understand and will be easy to revise just by reading the notes. They can always make their own notes by referring to the book and notes. This will help the student to learn and remember in the process of making the notes for Asthma. 

• Practicals - 

Students should be attentive while the practicals are done in the lab, by watching the experiments they can get the knowledge of the topic. This has helped many students to remember the topic.

• Study to Understand - 

Do not simply read the powerpoints, notes, and books. Try to understand the topic while reading it so that even if it is vast with many points and terms to remember, it becomes easier during the examS. 

• Discuss with Your Friends- 

Discussing with others about Asthma and its types and other points makes the topic more interesting because this will be more interactive. Friends can also share knowledge which might be important.

• Try to Test Yourself- 

After completing the topic students should take a test for themselves which will make the student know which concepts are not clear and can be cleared with the teachers or tutors. Vedantu offers online tutoring for students and doubts clearing sessions by learned teachers who can help the students understand the chapter in-depth.  

• Solve the Questions- 

After completing the chapter on Asthma, a student should try to solve the questions given at the back of the chapter. This will cover half of the chapter’s topic and will help the students to know the type of questions are present in the chapter. The solutions to the questions are available on Vedantu’s official website that can be downloaded in PDF formats. 

• Solve Previous Question Papers - 

This step will help the students who will appear for the board exams. They should collect the previous year’s question papers and try to solve the answers by themselves. This will give them some idea about the pattern of the question paper and the questions which are important on Asthma. They are available on Vedantu’s official website that can be downloaded and that will surely help the students prepare for board exams. The materials available on Vedantu are updated and latest according to the latest board syllabus. 

• Practice Diagram- 

In biology, students need to keep practising drawing the diagram because some questions might come in which makes the diagram might be important. Since Asthma has no diagrams, it can be learned from the book by reading the points and understanding the causes and treatments of Asthma. It is essential for a student to know the basic concepts corresponding to the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. 

Students can always download the study materials from Vedantu regarding any topic of Biology from the website. The popular books and their solutions are also available on Vedantu's official website that can be downloaded in PDF format. If they still have any doubts about Asthma then they can join the online life - classes on Vedantu.