Halfway through doing the dishes on a sunny afternoon with hands deep in water. Mrs. Caroline Thompson’s phone rang for the third time. “Who could that be?” She muttered, “I don’t think I can ignore this call anymore, it could be important,” she thought. She rinsed her hands and dried them quickly.
“It’s Sharon, she’s not feeling well.” Caroline’s heart sank, “Not feeling well?” “What’s wrong with her?”
“She’s having some trouble breathing; we thought to inform you to come get her.”
“She’s having an asthma attack,” the speaker announced, his voice grave. “We need to administer a nebulizer treatment immediately.”
Asthma? The word hit Caroline like a physical blow. As the nebulizer hissed, delivering medication into Sharon’s lungs, Mrs. Thompson watched her daughter, her face etched with worry. The doctor’s words replayed in her mind. How could she have missed this? What if she hadn’t gotten to the school in time? The climax of fear was when she was told it was asthma. The days ahead would be different, filled with inhalers and monitoring, but in that moment, Caroline knew one thing: she would do everything in her power to protect her little girl from the Republic of Asthma where boys seem to be luckier than girls.
What is Asthma?
In a layman’s language, one can say that:
Asthma is a common lung condition that causes occasional difficulties in breathing freely..
It is not a respecter of age, meaning it can affect people of any age-range. Although most sufferers of this disease usually claim it started from their childhood, it can also develop for the first time in adults.
Now, to put it in more acceptable form for the purpose of this publication – The World Health Organization (WHO) puts the definition in broader perspective: The World Health Organization (WHO) defines asthma as “a chronic lung disease affecting people of all ages, caused by inflammation and muscle tightening around the airways, which makes it harder to breathe”
There will be a need to consider other vital insights into what this is all about before we consider the gender difference that this disease portrays.
The Symptoms:
Symptoms of asthma
The most symptoms of asthma are:
1. A whistling or wheezing sound when breathing.
2. Breathlessness
3. A tight chest, which may feel like a band is tightening around it
4. Coughing
A more severe asthma attack would add the following symptoms to the ones listed above:
5. Being too breathless to eat, speak or sleep
6. Breathing faster
7. Drowsiness, confusion, exhaustion or dizziness
8. Blue lips or fingers
9. Fainting
Causes and Possible Allergy Triggers:
Researchers are yet to pinpoint exact causes, they believe a number of factors could be responsible: allergies, genetics, hygiene standards and a few others could be suggested but there is not enough evidence if any of these could be exclusively responsible.
Who’s at Risk?
A number of things can increase your chances of getting asthma.
These include:
1. Having an allergy-related condition, such as eczema, a food allergy or hay fever – these are known as atopic conditions
2. Having a family history of asthma or atopic conditions
3. Having had bronchiolitis – a common childhood lung infection
4. Exposure to tobacco smoke as a child
5. Our mother smoking during pregnancy being born prematurely (before 37 weeks) or with a low birth weight
6. Some people may also be at risk of developing asthma through their job.
More often than not, Asthma symptoms occur in response to a trigger.
Common triggers include:
1. Infections like colds and flu
2. Allergies – such as to pollen, dust mites or animals smoke, fumes and pollution,
medicines particularly anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen and aspirin,
3. Emotions, including stress, or laughter, 4. Weather – such as sudden changes in temperature, cold air, wind, thunderstorms, heat and humidity, mould or damp
5. Exercise
Once you know your triggers, trying to avoid them may help control your asthma symptoms.
Work-related asthma
Asthma at work could be associated with substances or production you may be exposed to at work. This is known as occupational asthma.
Asthma patients who are exposed to one or some of the following are at higher risk of developing an attack.
1. Isocyanates (chemicals often found in spray paint)
2. Flour and grain dust colophony (a substance often found in solder fumes)
3. Latex
4. Animals
5. Wood dust
6. Paint sprayers,
7. Bakers, pastry makers,
8. Nurses,
9. Chemical workers,
10. Animal handlers
11. Timber workers,
12. Welders and
13. Food processing workers.
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