ASTHMA
There are many things that just seem to come naturally to some people. Maybe you know a girl who's a natural at sports - put her in a uniform and she's off and running. Some people are naturals at playing an instrument; it's like they were born knowing how to count in 4/4 time. Others are naturals at math; give them a test on theorems or equations and they're happy.
But some people have a problem with something that you'd think would come naturally to everyone: breathing. When a person has asthma, it can make breathing very difficult. And when it's hard to breathe, it can affect a person's game, that trumpet solo, and even the all-important geometry test.
Asthma (pronounced: az-muh) is a lung condition that causes a person to have difficulty breathing. Asthma is a common condition: More than 6 million kids and teens have it.
Asthma affects a person's bronchial (pronounced: brahn-kee-ul) tubes, also known as airways. When a person breathes normally, air is taken in through the nose or mouth and then goes into the trachea (windpipe), passing through the bronchial tubes, into the lungs, and finally back out again. But people with asthma have airways that are inflamed. This means that they swell and produce lots of thick mucus. They are also overly sensitive, or hyperreactive, to certain things, like exercise, dust, or cigarette smoke. This hyperreactivity causes the smooth muscle that lines the airways to tighten up. The combination of airway inflammation and muscle tightening narrows the airways and makes it difficult for air to move through.
In most people with asthma, the difficulty breathing happens periodically. When it does happen, it is known as an asthma flare - sometimes also referred to as an asthma attack or episode.
A person having an asthma flare may cough, wheeze (make a whistling sound while breathing), be short of breath, and feel an intense tightness in the chest. Many people with asthma compare a flare to the sensation of trying to breathe through a straw - it feels extremely hard to get air in and out of their lungs. An asthma flare can last for several hours or longer if a person doesn't use asthma medication. When an asthma flare is over, the person usually feels better.
Between flares, a person's breathing can seem completely normal, or a person may continue to have some symptoms, such as coughing. Some people with asthma feel as if they are always short of breath. Other people with the condition may only cough at night or while exercising and they may never have a noticeable flare.
No one knows exactly what causes asthma. It's thought to be a combination of environmental and genetic (hereditary) factors. A teen with asthma may have a parent or other close relative who has asthma or had it as a child. Asthma isn't contagious, though, so you can't catch it from someone who has it.
Asthma symptoms can be brought on by dozens of different things, and what causes asthma flares in one person might not bother another at all. The things that set off asthma symptoms are called triggers. The following are some of the common triggers:
There are lots of other things that can trigger asthma symptoms in people with the condition. For example, a girl's asthma can get worse just before her period. And even laughing, crying, and yelling can sometimes cause the airways to tighten in sensitive lungs, triggering an asthma flare.
Most people with asthma are diagnosed with the condition when they're kids, but some don't find out that they have it until their teen years. In diagnosing asthma, a doctor will ask about any concerns and symptoms you have, your past health, your family's health, any medications you're taking, any allergies you may have, and other issues. This is called the medical history.
The doctor will also perform a physical exam. He or she may recommend that you take some tests. Tests that doctors use to diagnose asthma include spirometry (pronounced: spye-rah-muh-tree) and peak flow meter tests, which involve blowing into devices that can measure how well your lungs are performing. Your doctor may also recommend allergy tests to see if allergies are causing your symptoms, or special exercise tests to see whether your asthma symptoms may be brought on by physical activity. Doctors occasionally use X-rays in diagnosing asthma, but these are usually only to rule out other possible problems.
Your family doctor may refer you to a specialist for allergy diagnosis and treatment. Doctors who specialize in the treatment of asthma include those who have been trained in the fields of allergy, immunology (how the immune system works), and pulmonology (conditions that affect the lungs).
There's no cure for asthma, but the condition can usually be managed and flares can be prevented. Asthma is treated in two ways: by avoiding potential triggers and with medication.
Teens who have asthma need to avoid the things that can cause their symptoms. Of course, some things that can cause symptoms can't be completely avoided (like catching a cold!), but people can control their exposure to some triggers, such as pet dander, for example.
In the case of exercise-induced asthma, the trigger (physical activity) needs to be managed rather than avoided. Exercise can help a person stay healthier overall, and doctors can help athletes find treatments that allow them to them participate in their sports.
Doctors treat every asthma case individually because the severity of each person's asthma and what triggers the symptoms are different. For this reason, doctors have a variety of treatment medications at their disposal. Most asthma medications are inhaled (which means that a person takes the medication by breathing it into the lungs), but asthma medications can also take the form of pills or liquids. They fall into two categories:
Some people with asthma rely only on quick-relief medications; others use quick-relief medications together with long-term control medications to keep their asthma in check overall. Each person needs to work closely with a doctor to find the treatment that's right for them.
In addition to avoiding triggers and treating symptoms, people with asthma usually need to monitor their condition to prevent flares and help their doctors adjust medications if necessary. Two of the tools doctors give people to do this are:
The best way to control asthma is prevention. Although medications can play an essential role in preventing flares, environmental control is also very important. Here are some things you can do to help prevent coming into contact with the allergens or irritants that cause your asthma flares:
Asthma doesn't have to prevent you from doing what you love! Sure, it takes a bit of work (and remembering!) but if you take your medications properly, recognize your symptoms and triggers, and check in with your doctor regularly, you can do anything that other teens do. That includes any sports activity, even cross-country skiing, swimming, or playing basketball.
There are many things that just seem to come naturally to some people. Maybe you know a girl who's a natural at sports - put her in a uniform and she's off and running. Some people are naturals at playing an instrument; it's like they were born knowing how to count in 4/4 time. Others are naturals at math; give them a test on theorems or equations and they're happy.
But some people have a problem with something that you'd think would come naturally to everyone: breathing. When a person has asthma, it can make breathing very difficult. And when it's hard to breathe, it can affect a person's game, that trumpet solo, and even the all-important geometry test.
Asthma (pronounced: az-muh) is a lung condition that causes a person to have difficulty breathing. Asthma is a common condition: More than 6 million kids and teens have it.
Asthma affects a person's bronchial (pronounced: brahn-kee-ul) tubes, also known as airways. When a person breathes normally, air is taken in through the nose or mouth and then goes into the trachea (windpipe), passing through the bronchial tubes, into the lungs, and finally back out again. But people with asthma have airways that are inflamed. This means that they swell and produce lots of thick mucus. They are also overly sensitive, or hyperreactive, to certain things, like exercise, dust, or cigarette smoke. This hyperreactivity causes the smooth muscle that lines the airways to tighten up. The combination of airway inflammation and muscle tightening narrows the airways and makes it difficult for air to move through.
In most people with asthma, the difficulty breathing happens periodically. When it does happen, it is known as an asthma flare - sometimes also referred to as an asthma attack or episode.
A person having an asthma flare may cough, wheeze (make a whistling sound while breathing), be short of breath, and feel an intense tightness in the chest. Many people with asthma compare a flare to the sensation of trying to breathe through a straw - it feels extremely hard to get air in and out of their lungs. An asthma flare can last for several hours or longer if a person doesn't use asthma medication. When an asthma flare is over, the person usually feels better.
Between flares, a person's breathing can seem completely normal, or a person may continue to have some symptoms, such as coughing. Some people with asthma feel as if they are always short of breath. Other people with the condition may only cough at night or while exercising and they may never have a noticeable flare.
No one knows exactly what causes asthma. It's thought to be a combination of environmental and genetic (hereditary) factors. A teen with asthma may have a parent or other close relative who has asthma or had it as a child. Asthma isn't contagious, though, so you can't catch it from someone who has it.
Asthma symptoms can be brought on by dozens of different things, and what causes asthma flares in one person might not bother another at all. The things that set off asthma symptoms are called triggers. The following are some of the common triggers:
There are lots of other things that can trigger asthma symptoms in people with the condition. For example, a girl's asthma can get worse just before her period. And even laughing, crying, and yelling can sometimes cause the airways to tighten in sensitive lungs, triggering an asthma flare.
Most people with asthma are diagnosed with the condition when they're kids, but some don't find out that they have it until their teen years. In diagnosing asthma, a doctor will ask about any concerns and symptoms you have, your past health, your family's health, any medications you're taking, any allergies you may have, and other issues. This is called the medical history.
The doctor will also perform a physical exam. He or she may recommend that you take some tests. Tests that doctors use to diagnose asthma include spirometry (pronounced: spye-rah-muh-tree) and peak flow meter tests, which involve blowing into devices that can measure how well your lungs are performing. Your doctor may also recommend allergy tests to see if allergies are causing your symptoms, or special exercise tests to see whether your asthma symptoms may be brought on by physical activity. Doctors occasionally use X-rays in diagnosing asthma, but these are usually only to rule out other possible problems.
Your family doctor may refer you to a specialist for allergy diagnosis and treatment. Doctors who specialize in the treatment of asthma include those who have been trained in the fields of allergy, immunology (how the immune system works), and pulmonology (conditions that affect the lungs).
There's no cure for asthma, but the condition can usually be managed and flares can be prevented. Asthma is treated in two ways: by avoiding potential triggers and with medication.
Teens who have asthma need to avoid the things that can cause their symptoms. Of course, some things that can cause symptoms can't be completely avoided (like catching a cold!), but people can control their exposure to some triggers, such as pet dander, for example.
In the case of exercise-induced asthma, the trigger (physical activity) needs to be managed rather than avoided. Exercise can help a person stay healthier overall, and doctors can help athletes find treatments that allow them to them participate in their sports.
Doctors treat every asthma case individually because the severity of each person's asthma and what triggers the symptoms are different. For this reason, doctors have a variety of treatment medications at their disposal. Most asthma medications are inhaled (which means that a person takes the medication by breathing it into the lungs), but asthma medications can also take the form of pills or liquids. They fall into two categories:
Some people with asthma rely only on quick-relief medications; others use quick-relief medications together with long-term control medications to keep their asthma in check overall. Each person needs to work closely with a doctor to find the treatment that's right for them.
In addition to avoiding triggers and treating symptoms, people with asthma usually need to monitor their condition to prevent flares and help their doctors adjust medications if necessary. Two of the tools doctors give people to do this are:
The best way to control asthma is prevention. Although medications can play an essential role in preventing flares, environmental control is also very important. Here are some things you can do to help prevent coming into contact with the allergens or irritants that cause your asthma flares:
Asthma doesn't have to prevent you from doing what you love! Sure, it takes a bit of work (and remembering!) but if you take your medications properly, recognize your symptoms and triggers, and check in with your doctor regularly, you can do anything that other teens do. That includes any sports activity, even cross-country skiing, swimming, or playing basketball.
There are many things that just seem to come naturally to some people. Maybe you know a girl who's a natural at sports - put her in a uniform and she's off and running. Some people are naturals at playing an instrument; it's like they were born knowing how to count in 4/4 time. Others are naturals at math; give them a test on theorems or equations and they're happy.
But some people have a problem with something that you'd think would come naturally to everyone: breathing. When a person has asthma, it can make breathing very difficult. And when it's hard to breathe, it can affect a person's game, that trumpet solo, and even the all-important geometry test.
Asthma (pronounced: az-muh) is a lung condition that causes a person to have difficulty breathing. Asthma is a common condition: More than 6 million kids and teens have it.
Asthma affects a person's bronchial (pronounced: brahn-kee-ul) tubes, also known as airways. When a person breathes normally, air is taken in through the nose or mouth and then goes into the trachea (windpipe), passing through the bronchial tubes, into the lungs, and finally back out again. But people with asthma have airways that are inflamed. This means that they swell and produce lots of thick mucus. They are also overly sensitive, or hyperreactive, to certain things, like exercise, dust, or cigarette smoke. This hyperreactivity causes the smooth muscle that lines the airways to tighten up. The combination of airway inflammation and muscle tightening narrows the airways and makes it difficult for air to move through.
In most people with asthma, the difficulty breathing happens periodically. When it does happen, it is known as an asthma flare - sometimes also referred to as an asthma attack or episode.
A person having an asthma flare may cough, wheeze (make a whistling sound while breathing), be short of breath, and feel an intense tightness in the chest. Many people with asthma compare a flare to the sensation of trying to breathe through a straw - it feels extremely hard to get air in and out of their lungs. An asthma flare can last for several hours or longer if a person doesn't use asthma medication. When an asthma flare is over, the person usually feels better.
Between flares, a person's breathing can seem completely normal, or a person may continue to have some symptoms, such as coughing. Some people with asthma feel as if they are always short of breath. Other people with the condition may only cough at night or while exercising and they may never have a noticeable flare.
No one knows exactly what causes asthma. It's thought to be a combination of environmental and genetic (hereditary) factors. A teen with asthma may have a parent or other close relative who has asthma or had it as a child. Asthma isn't contagious, though, so you can't catch it from someone who has it.
Asthma symptoms can be brought on by dozens of different things, and what causes asthma flares in one person might not bother another at all. The things that set off asthma symptoms are called triggers. The following are some of the common triggers:
There are lots of other things that can trigger asthma symptoms in people with the condition. For example, a girl's asthma can get worse just before her period. And even laughing, crying, and yelling can sometimes cause the airways to tighten in sensitive lungs, triggering an asthma flare.
Most people with asthma are diagnosed with the condition when they're kids, but some don't find out that they have it until their teen years. In diagnosing asthma, a doctor will ask about any concerns and symptoms you have, your past health, your family's health, any medications you're taking, any allergies you may have, and other issues. This is called the medical history.
The doctor will also perform a physical exam. He or she may recommend that you take some tests. Tests that doctors use to diagnose asthma include spirometry (pronounced: spye-rah-muh-tree) and peak flow meter tests, which involve blowing into devices that can measure how well your lungs are performing. Your doctor may also recommend allergy tests to see if allergies are causing your symptoms, or special exercise tests to see whether your asthma symptoms may be brought on by physical activity. Doctors occasionally use X-rays in diagnosing asthma, but these are usually only to rule out other possible problems.
Your family doctor may refer you to a specialist for allergy diagnosis and treatment. Doctors who specialize in the treatment of asthma include those who have been trained in the fields of allergy, immunology (how the immune system works), and pulmonology (conditions that affect the lungs).
There's no cure for asthma, but the condition can usually be managed and flares can be prevented. Asthma is treated in two ways: by avoiding potential triggers and with medication.
Teens who have asthma need to avoid the things that can cause their symptoms. Of course, some things that can cause symptoms can't be completely avoided (like catching a cold!), but people can control their exposure to some triggers, such as pet dander, for example.
In the case of exercise-induced asthma, the trigger (physical activity) needs to be managed rather than avoided. Exercise can help a person stay healthier overall, and doctors can help athletes find treatments that allow them to them participate in their sports.
Doctors treat every asthma case individually because the severity of each person's asthma and what triggers the symptoms are different. For this reason, doctors have a variety of treatment medications at their disposal. Most asthma medications are inhaled (which means that a person takes the medication by breathing it into the lungs), but asthma medications can also take the form of pills or liquids. They fall into two categories:
Some people with asthma rely only on quick-relief medications; others use quick-relief medications together with long-term control medications to keep their asthma in check overall. Each person needs to work closely with a doctor to find the treatment that's right for them.
In addition to avoiding triggers and treating symptoms, people with asthma usually need to monitor their condition to prevent flares and help their doctors adjust medications if necessary. Two of the tools doctors give people to do this are:
The best way to control asthma is prevention. Although medications can play an essential role in preventing flares, environmental control is also very important. Here are some things you can do to help prevent coming into contact with the allergens or irritants that cause your asthma flares:
Asthma doesn't have to prevent you from doing what you love! Sure, it takes a bit of work (and remembering!) but if you take your medications properly, recognize your symptoms and triggers, and check in with your doctor regularly, you can do anything that other teens do. That includes any sports activity, even cross-country skiing, swimming, or playing basketball.