What Is An (Asthma Attack)?

Asthma Episode 

Asthma symptoms can vary from very mild to very severe. Some adults with asthma have only seasonal bouts of symptoms. Some have symptoms only after exercise or after exposure to something to which they are allergic, such as a dog or cat. Others have a chronic form of the disease and experience asthma symptoms almost daily.

In an "asthma episode," also known as an "asthma attack," the symptoms develop because the oversensitive airways of the lung react by becoming more inflamed and narrows, thus obstructing the normal flow of air through the air passages. The reduced size of the air passages occurs because:

• The muscles around the airways tighten
• The linings of the airways become swollen
• The normal secretion of the airways (called mucus) becomes "trapped," thus clogging the airways

As the airways become narrower and more obstructed, it takes extra effort to breathe and force air through them. The air may make a whistling or wheezing sound as it goes past the narrowed parts of the air passages. A person having an asthma attack may also cough a lot and spit up a lot of very sticky mucus.
So one or more of the following symptoms may occur once the airways have narrowed in response to a trigger:

• Coughing Coughing is often a sign of asthma, but is easily overlooked. As a general rule, healthy people don't cough unless they have something in their throats or have a cold.
• Wheezing Wheezing is a whistling noise heard during breathing, as if something is "caught" in one of the breathing passages.
• Tightness of the chest  Many adults with asthma describe a tightness of the chest, an uncomfortable feeling caused by over-inflation of the lungs due to difficulty in pushing air out through the narrowed airways.
• Shortness of breath  Shortness of breath is the feeling that a breath is barely finished before another is needed. It has been described as "air hunger" by some people.
• Mucus production. Many people with asthma produce excessive, thick mucus that obstructs the airways, which can lead to coughing.

For many people, asthma symptoms are worse at night and in the early morning or after exercise. Furthermore, an asthma episode often gives early warning signs, thus giving the person time to act.

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What is Asthma

Asthma is a disease affecting the airways that carry air to and from your lungs. People who suffer from this chronic condition (long-lasting or recurrent) are said to be asthmatic.

The inside walls of an asthmatic's airways are swollen or inflamed. This swelling or inflammation makes the airways extremely sensitive to irritations and increases your susceptibility to an allergic reaction.

Asthma is a condition that affects the air passages of the lungs. It is a two-step problem:

1. When a person has asthma, the air passages are inflamed, which means that the airways are red and swollen.
2. Inflammation of the air passages makes them over extra-sensitive to a number of different things that can "trigger," or bring on, asthma symptoms.

During breathing, air is normally brought in through the nose where it is warmed, filtered, and humidified. It then passes through the throat and into the windpipe, called the trachea (TRAY-kee-a). The trachea divides into two large tubes called the right bronchus (BRONG-kus) and left bronchus. These then split up into much smaller tubes, which in turn branch into thousands of very small airways called bronchioles (BRONG-kee-olz). It is the large and small bronchi that are generally affected in asthma.





When a person is exposed to one of these irritants, or triggers, the oversensitive air passages react by becoming narrower, swollen, and even more inflamed. This obstructs airflow to and from the lungs and makes it very difficult for the person to breathe.

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Asthma Treatment and Prevention

Asthma is a condition that affects about 10% of the total population of children in the United States, but its onset can occur at any age under 40. It is a chronic illness that affects the airways that carry air in and out of the lungs. What happens during an episode is that the muscles of these airways tighten, allowing only a small amount of air into the lungs; and the cells in the lungs overproduce mucus which makes it that much harder to breathe. A common manifestation of an asthma attack can range from mild wheezing to severe breathing problems.

There are plenty of stimulants that can trigger asthma and attacks. Most of these are environmental, and can be found in the workplace, school or neighborhood. Constant exposure to irritants like dust and smoke can lead to a development of asthma among adults. It can also be caused by a disorder in the GIT system called Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD, where the upper sphincter of the stomach doesn't close properly, allowing its contents to flow back into the esophagus.





The stomach contents causes heartburn and also irritates the lining of the esophagus and airways, which in turn causes the development of asthma. Children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy also have an increased risk of developing asthma. The most common trigger of asthma attacks are allergens, which is why asthma is almost always associated with allergies.


Asthma can be treated by a variety of medications, but the most common and most effective of which are corticosteroid anti-inflammatory inhalers. This drug relaxes the airways and reduces inflammation, making it easier to breathe. Bronchodilators are common treatments for asthma attacks as well. These dilate and open up the airways, preventing a full-blown attack from occurring.

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