Asthma affects the respiratory system by narrowing airways via
swelling. According to the Mayo Clinic, "asthma is a condition in
which your airways narrow and swell and may produce extra mucus.
This can make breathing difficult and trigger coughing, a wheezing
sound when you breathe out and shortness of breath." This deviates
from the standard of health by causing difficulty breathing, ranging
from a minor nuisance to potentially life-threatening asthma attacks.
It is important to note that asthma cannot be cured but it can be
controlled.
Asthma can be classified into four categories by the National Asthma
Education and Prevention Program:
Intermittent - If asthma symptoms such as difficulty breathing,
wheezing, coughing, occur on fewer than 2 days a week and
they do not interfere with normal activities. Night time
symptoms occur on fewer than 2 days a month.
Mild Persistent - Symptoms occur more than 2 days a week but
do not occur every day. Attacks interfere with daily activities.
Night time symptoms occur 3-4 times a month.
Moderate Persistent - Symptoms occur daily. Inhalant
medications are used daily. Symptoms interfere with daily
activities. Night time symptoms occur more than 1 time a week,
but do not happen every day.
Severe Persistent - Symptoms occur throughout every day.
Daily physical activities are severely limited. Night time
symptoms occur often, sometimes every night.
In some instances, asthma signs and symptoms can flare up, such as
when exercising, allergies, or exposure to certain irritants. Asthma
has a range of signs and symptoms to look for, these include:
Shortness of breath
Chest pain or tightness
Wheezing when exhaling
Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing, or
wheezing
Coughing or wheezing attacks that are worsened by a
respiratory virus, such as a cold or flu.
If experiencing any combination of these signs and symptoms,
testing can be done to determine lung function and any prevalence
of asthma. Lung function tests such as Spirometry, a test that
estimates the narrowing of your bronchial tubes by checking how
much air you can exhale after a deep breath and how fast you can
breathe out. And a Peak Flow meter, which is a device that measures
how hard you can breathe out. These tests are often done before
and after taking a bronchodilator. If the lung function improves after
a bronchodilator, it is likely you have asthma.
Michigan Medicine. (2020, October 26). Classification of
asthma. Retrieved from Classification of Asthma | Michigan Medicine
(uofmhealth.org)
Mayo Clinic. (2020, August 11). Asthma. Retrieved from Asthma -
Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
