Asthma

Bronchial asthma - a common chronic disease of the respiratory system, occurring approximately ten percent of children and six - seven per cent of the adult population. Unfortunately, as statistics show that these numbers continue to grow. Among the major causes of asthma attacks distinguish allergic component and hyperreactivity of the mucous membranes of the bronchial tree.

Under hyperresponsiveness understand a condition in which it may be a pathological immune response, which in this case is characterized by elevated slizeobrazovaniem on the surface of the mucous membrane of the bronchi, inflammation of mucous edema itself and the sharp reduction of smooth muscle of the bronchi. These three factors and lead to a sharp narrowing of the bronchi and the deterioration of lung ventilation. However, the disease can develop without the participation of allergic component. For example, chronic bronchitis, when the bronchial mucosa hypertrophied and almost constantly in a state of swelling, onset of obstruction (difficult terrain), the bronchi may occur even after a few breaths of cold air.

In the mechanism of development of bronchial asthma attach great importance to hereditary factors. Indeed, the risk of contracting asthma is much higher for that child, whose closest relatives are asthmatics. Adult person becomes a victim of the disease for several reasons. Thus, some experts consider asthma as adults late diagnosed diseases. In this case, they imply the existence of the disease since childhood, but a number of reasons disease is hidden, in mild form, with very long periods of remission (absence of symptoms in chronic illness) and had no typical clinical symptoms, including asthma. A second cause of asthma in adults is the occurrence of pathology at the background of direct contact with the occupational hazard. Thus, in terms of production in the air of the workplace can be a variety of chemical compounds: the marginal and unsaturated hydrocarbons, vapors of organic solvents, formaldehyde, ammonia and many other factors with which a person living conditions occurs very rarely and with much lower concentrations in the air . Under the constant inhalation of such substances in humans can develop bronchial asthma, which would already be professional.

What are the symptoms characteristic of asthma? First, it is a strong and prolonged cough, which often begins his attack. Secondly, the abrupt shortness of breath, which is based on the three physiological mechanism that we have already considered. Inhaling become noisy, to provide access of air to the lungs the patient has to connect the auxiliary respiratory muscles. Sigh accompanied by wheezing. Thirdly, the patient feels a strong pressing pain in the chest. However, these pains are not related to heart, and result from hyperextension pleural membrane light containing a large number of sensitive receptors. The disease can occur with varying degrees of severity, with one and the same patient. In the most severe cases, there are so pronounced obstruction of the bronchi, that a person can die from suffocation. To prevent this, it is important to be able to very quickly cut short (stop) attack. To this end, produced a special inhalers, which are taught to use each asthmatic patient. In addition, to prevent an attack is very important to determine what kind of an allergic component (which is also called the trigger) triggers asthma. This will allow to avoid contact with the allergen and to ensure long-term remission. Unfortunately, this is often difficult not only because the body's response to a trigger, usually occurs only after some time, but also because of the widespread distribution of these allergens. Suffice it to say that the most characteristic of them are house dust and pet hair.