Asthma how does it work

This air has oxygen in it. Oxygen has a special job. It helps feed, or give energy to, all parts of our body so we can walk, talk, eat and exercise. Asthma causes inflammation, or swelling, in the lungs. When something bothers your airways, you have trouble breathing.

This is called an asthma attack or episode. It gets harder to breathe because the tiny muscles around your airways squeeze tightly and they have swelling inside. Your airways will make more mucus inside your airways, which makes it even harder to breathe.

These changes in your airways can cause coughing and wheezing. There is no cure for asthma. But you can take steps to manage it.

If you have asthma, it's important to see an asthma specialist, like an allergist or pulmonologist, to come up with the right asthma treatment plan. Medicines and avoiding asthma triggers can help reduce swelling and relax tight muscles in your airways. The office is closed today so I can't get details. Most blogs here are the work of many people. It is OK to omit an author when a work is produced by an organization. For example. The medical term for this "twitchiness" is hyperresponsiveness.

Just walking into cold air, or sitting near someone wearing perfume, for example, can trigger a big reaction in the airways of an asthmatic. The airway walls swell up even more, the airway muscles squeeze, and the person with asthma can find himself wheezing, coughing, and maybe even having trouble breathing at all.

Doctors have noted, however, that if the inflammation in an asthmatic person's airways is controlled by medicines, the airways become much less "twitchy. Airways are hollow tubes made up of different layers of tissue, one of which is a layer of smooth muscle. In a person with asthma, the airway muscles tend to be particularly large and strong. When a response of the airways is triggered, the muscles contract, squeezing the airway and narrowing the space that air can get through.

The smooth muscle of the airway in a person with asthma contracts too easily, too hard, and too long. As the airways of asthmatics already can be swollen and partly filled with mucus, so the extra squeezing of the airway smooth muscle can make it difficult or even impossible for air to get through.

Excessive contraction of airway muscle appears to be directly related to airway inflammation. Controlling the inflammation with anti-inflammatory medicines helps prevent the muscles squeezing so easily and so hard, and thus, helps prevent asthma episodes. To make an appointment with an asthma doctor, please fill out the online form or call Call Us Employee Pride Recognition Extraordinary Nurses.

Exposure to various irritants and substances that trigger allergies allergens can trigger signs and symptoms of asthma. Asthma triggers are different from person to person and can include:. Proper treatment makes a big difference in preventing both short-term and long-term complications caused by asthma. While there's no way to prevent asthma, you and your doctor can design a step-by-step plan for living with your condition and preventing asthma attacks.

Follow your asthma action plan. With your doctor and health care team, write a detailed plan for taking medications and managing an asthma attack.

Then be sure to follow your plan. Asthma is an ongoing condition that needs regular monitoring and treatment. Taking control of your treatment can make you feel more in control of your life. Monitor your breathing. You may learn to recognize warning signs of an impending attack, such as slight coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath.

But because your lung function may decrease before you notice any signs or symptoms, regularly measure and record your peak airflow with a home peak flow meter. A peak flow meter measures how hard you can breathe out. Your doctor can show you how to monitor your peak flow at home. Identify and treat attacks early. If you act quickly, you're less likely to have a severe attack. You also won't need as much medication to control your symptoms. When your peak flow measurements decrease and alert you to an oncoming attack, take your medication as instructed.

Also, immediately stop any activity that may have triggered the attack. If your symptoms don't improve, get medical help as directed in your action plan.

Asthma care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Asthma attack Open pop-up dialog box Close.

Asthma attack If you have asthma, the inside walls of the airways in your lungs can become inflamed and swollen. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Weinberger SE, et al.