Asthma
By: Braelyn Pruitt
How is Asthma contracted?
Asthma is a chronic disease and is not spread person to person. The development of Asthma is likely due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. People with Asthma are likely born with a tendency to develop the disease, and are influenced by many environmental factors such as respiratory viruses and allergens.
Symptoms of Asthma
The symptoms of Asthma are difficulty breathing, chest pain, cough, and wheezing. People may experience these common things and they are acute episodes, chest tightness, anxiety, early awakening, fast heart rate, or throat irritation.
What are the health effects of Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the airways that carry's oxygen in and out of the lungs. If a person has asthma, the inside of these airways is irritated and swollen. A study showed that 34 million or 1 in 9 people had been diagnosed with asthma. Of the 34 million, 12.3 million had experienced an asthma attack in the previous year.
How is Asthma treated?
Asthma is treated with two types of medicines: long-term control and quick-relief medicines. Long-term control medicines help reduce airway inflammation and prevent asthma symptoms. Quick-relief, or "rescue" medicines relieve asthma symptoms that may flare up.