ASTHMA

Asthma is a chronic respiratory illness. It involves inflammation of the bronchial tubes carrying oxygen in and carbon dioxide out of the lungs. This inflammation makes the person highly sensitive to triggers such as smoke, dust and pollens. When the triggers are sensed, the walls of the bronchioles swell, and the openings are filled  with mucus. At the same time, muscles within the bronchioles contract (bronchospasm) resulting in narrowing them down further. This narrowing creates difficulty in exhalation.

This difficulty in exhaling leads to the typical symptoms of an asthma attack. 

Symptoms of asthma include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.

Occupational asthma is characterized by experiencing of the symptoms of asthma at work. Usually the working conditions have a lot of chemical fumes, dust or other irritants in the air. 

Although asthma cannot be cured completely, it can be managed. Management of asthma includes identifying and avoiding allergens that trigger symptoms, using drug therapies in the form of Inhalers  and developing an emergency action plan for severe attacks. A quick relief inhaler is an ideal tool to keep handy for the times of asthmatic attacks.