Homework Help: Health: Diseases & Disorders: Asthma

Asthma is a disease in which there is narrowing of the bronchi. The bronchi is the airway between your trachea and lungs. Asthma is not a contagious disease at all. Episodes of asthma, which will be explained more thoroughly later, vary widely in the levels of severeness, and they can last from a few minutes to several days!

The Central part of the United States, such as Illinois and Indiana, has the highest concentration of asthma patients, except there are less patients around the the boundaries of Ohio and the Mississippi River. In the Western part of the United States, there is a smaller number of asthma patients. There are very few asthma patients by the Pacific Ocean. Twenty million people in the United States have asthma and half of them are children.

There are a few signs and symptoms that indicate you have asthma. Some common signs of asthma are painful wheezing, simultaneous coughing, and/or shortness of breath. When a patient has an episode of an asthma attack, they experience some tightness in the chest and start to gasp for air. Rapid breathing is a very common symptom and can lead to severe choking. A patient may notice excess mucus and raspy whistling sounds with each breath. For most asthma patients, it is usually more difficult to exhale than to inhale during an episode. Unfortunately, a severe episode can lead to death; however, there are ways to avoid death from asthma.

Death from asthma can be prevented in many ways. Although asthma is a chronic disorder that cannot be cured, scientists all over the world are conducting various experiments to find a cure. Fortunately, the fact that there is no cure for asthma is not the end of the world, and actually there are many treatments available!!! The first conventional step to take would be to see a doctor. The doctor will design treatment plans outlined especially for you, including medication and programs that will eliminate asthma-triggering elements in your life. Probably the most common treatment for asthma is an inhaler, the main ingredients of which is cromolyn sodium. The inhaler is known to have no taste at first, but have a bitter aftertaste. Some patients contract asthma because they have had a change in there lifestyle. If a particular substance has been identified as the "trigger" of the disorder, treatment can involve desensitization by injection. Another way of dealing with asthma, in sudden cases, would be drug therapy. Last, many kinds of asthma bronchodilators, which are known to relax and widen the airway that links the windpipe to the lungs, are widely used.

Homework Help: Health: Diseases & Disorders

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