You won't get a diagnosis here. The information on this site is just that, general information. We can't speak to your condition personally. But if you are concerned about breathing problems, then it's a good idea to talk with your doctor or your child's doctor as soon as you can.
Getting Started:
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your breathing. What happens is that your airways become inflamed and irritated in reaction to some kind of substance or situation, which is called a trigger. Your airways are the tubes that carry air and oxygen into and out of your body.
Your respiratory system includes your lungs and small tubes that branch out, called airways. These tubes become smaller and smaller until they form tiny sacs at the end called alveoli. Bands of muscle cover the bronchial tubes all the way down through the alveoli.
But what happens in people with asthma is that the immune system over-reacts to certain triggers. Triggers are substances your immune system interprets as threats to your well-being. In people who do not have asthma, these triggers produce no response.
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Asthma is a health challenge for both adults and children all over the world. In children worldwide, asthma has reached epidemic proportions, with 9 million U.S. children having the disease, 4 million of whom had an asthma attack in the last year. In fact, asthma increased in prevalence between 1980 and 1994 by 75 percent. In children, that rate increased 160 percent.
Asthma can affect people at any age, but half of the people with asthma develop it during childhood, usually before age 10. However, you can develop asthma even as a senior citizen. Asthma also affects people of all races and ethnic backgrounds. Asthma, especially the kind caused by allergies, does tend to run in families. In fact, the top 6 asthma risk factors include:
- Family history of asthma and / or allergies
- Living in urban areas
- Exposure to secondhand smoke
- Low birth weight in infants
- Health problems such as obesity, GERD, and chronic sinusitis
- Exposure to job-related irritants
Learn More About Your Risk for Asthma:
- Statistics from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology
- Asthma Causes FAQ
- Top Asthma Risk Factors
Asthma Types & Classifications: There are various ways to classify your asthma. One way is by the underlying type and the other is by the severity and frequency of your symptoms.
When we talk about asthma type, we are talking mainly about triggers, as follows:
- Allergic asthma, triggered by pollens, mold, pet dander, etc.
- Exercise-induced asthma, triggered by vigorous activity or exercise
- Occupational asthma, triggered by irritants in the work environment
- Mild intermittent
- Mild persistent
- Moderate persistent
- Severe persistent
Your doctor will decide where you fit, based on how often you have symptoms and how severe they are.
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