People suffering from asthma experience trouble breathing due to the fact that the tubes carrying air to and from the lungs (that is, the airways) become inflamed. Inflammation makes mucus build up in these tubes, considerably reducing the space available to move air. Moreover, inflammation stimulates the muscles around these tubes to shrink or go into spasm (bronchospasm), as a reaction to insignificant irritations. Next, bronchospasm narrows the tubes and reduces the airflow.
In many patients, inflammation in the lungs is an allergic reaction. The trigger for inflammation in the lungs may be very different for different patients, however several allergy triggers are very widespread, experienced by the majority of people suffering from asthma.
The vast majority of patients with asthma experience some allergic reactions. When allergy takes place, immune cells within the lungs and airways overreact to strange substances in the air, such as cat hair, mold, or deposits left by dust mites. A lot of people suffering from asthma are helped by an allergy specialist, who can be helpful in managing their condition.
As soon as the airways are inflamed, minor annoyance can make the airway muscles spasm. Inflamed airways are extremely sensitive to irritants in the air that are not true allergens, such as pollution, cigarette smoke, or sulfite gases (gases from fermentation of some beverages or foods). For many asthma sufferers cold air can tighten the airways, and this is the cause of exercise-induced asthma. (When you breathe hard during physical activity, your nose and throat do not have the possibility to warm up each breath before the air is drawn into your lungs).
Realizing how inflammation causes asthma will help you control this disease more effectively. It is caused by the fact that getting rid of or preventing inflammation by avoiding the things that trigger it is a crucial thing to keeping the airways open, which promotes good airflow and comfortable breathing. Realizing the role that inflammation plays will be also helpful for you to understand why you may have to take at least two different medications — one that controls or prevents inflammation and another that quickly opens constricted airways.
Unraveling asthma’s connection to inflammation has brought to huge advances in the treatment of this disease. This work has laid the groundwork for brand new classes of medications intended for controlling or preventing airway inflammation. These new medications work hand in hand with the old and still significant standbys — medicines that relax and open the airway.
The more you can avoid the things that stir up the inflammatory response, the easier you will breathe.
