Please note there is no audio for this animation.
When you breathe, air travels in and out of your lungs through a network of tubes known as airways. The airways have an inner lining and are supported by an outer layer of muscles.
Author Archives: Jackie Aim
What causes asthma?
The exact cause of asthma is unclear. It is thought genetics together with certain environmental factors may play a role in whether someone develops asthma.
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Some things that may cause asthma are:
- Genetics/ Family history – some people develop asthma if there is a family history of asthma or other allergic conditions such as eczema (a condition in which patches of skin become rough and inflamed with blisters which cause itching and bleeding), rhinitis (an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose) or hay fever
- Infections – Bacterial or viral infections can both cause and trigger asthma but they are very difficult to avoid.
- Tobacco Smoke – Exposure to tobacco smoke both before and after birth increases the risk of developing asthma like symptoms in early childhood.
- Occupation – Occupations linked with a high risk of occupational asthma include baking, painting (including spray painting, cleaning or textile work, farming and agricultural work, hairdressing and plastic manufacturing.
- Diet – It has been suggested that changes in our diet may have added to an increase in asthma and allergic disease. Eating more processed foods and poly saturated fatty acids (e.g. margarine and vegetable oil), along with less fruit, vegetables and polyunsaturated fatty acids (e.g. oily fish) may put us at higher risk of developing these conditions.
Who gets asthma?
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People who have a family history of asthma, hay fever, eczema or allergies are more likely to develop asthma. However it is possible for people to develop asthma who do not have any family connection with asthma or allergy.
It can occur in adults who have had a viral infection or who have been exposed to irritants at work.
In adulthood, asthma is more common in women than men.
Childhood is the most common age of onset but asthma can begin at any age!
What is asthma?
20% of the population in Scotland have asthma
- Asthma is a long-term condition that affects the lungs. It causes swelling and narrowing of small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs causing shortness of breath, cough or wheeze.
- Asthma is common affecting 20% of the population in Scotland with over 5 million people in the UK requiring treatment for asthma.
- There is no cure for asthma but the symptoms can be well controlled with treatment and avoiding irritants (triggers) that make it worse.
Spirometry results
- If you have few symptoms results can appear within normal limits with normal looking chart results.
- However, depending on how sensitive your bronchi and airways are, with repeated Spirometry attempts, these results can drop. Occasionally with dramatic effect on symptoms.
- Spirometry tests may be repeated after being given reliever medication to assess any change in values measured.
What is measured
- FEV1: Forced Expiratory Volume 1 – This is the volume of air that is forced out in 1 second.
- FVC: Forced Vital Capacity – This is the volume of air that can be forced out of the lung from full inspiration to full expiration.
- FEV1/FVC: Spirometric ratio – This compares the amount of air that can be forced out of the lungs in the 1st second, with the total amount of air that can be forced out. Using this ratio the healthcare professionals can work out how your asthma is affecting your lungs and the appropriate treatment for you.
- PEF: Peak Expiratory Flow – This measures the speed you can breathe out.
Spirometry- How tests are done
Spirometry is a breathing test which can be done at your GP surgery or at a hospital outpatient clinic.
- Your height and weight are accurately measured.
- You sit upright with feet on floor on a chair with arms.
- You will be asked to take a full deep breath in and then BLAST!!! out as hard and as fast as possible for as long as possible.
- You then breathe in as fully and deeply as possible.
- The test is repeated three times with a rest in between each test.
The following film clip shows how a spirometry test is done.
[jwplayer mediaid=”880″ player=”3″ ]
(Running time: 1 minute 41 seconds, video provided by NHS Lothian Respiratory MCN)
Types of asthma
There are two types of asthma:
| Extrinsic asthma | Intrinsic asthma |
|---|---|
This type of asthma is associated with and triggered by allergens. It is sometimes known as allergic asthma. Your immune system reacts to what would normally be a harmless substance by increasing antibodies increasing mucous and makes airways narrow and become inflamed.
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This is a non allergic, non seasonal form of asthma which usually first occurs in adulthood. Substances irritate the airways.
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Whichever your type of asthma, most people can live a normal life if they have the right treatment and medication as prescribed by your doctor. Get to know your asthma symptoms and any triggers which make your symptoms worse. Then you can treat the problem early to get the best results. The majority of people with asthma can be symptom free and live a normal life. If your asthma is more difficult to control your respiratory specialists can help.
Do I have asthma?
Wheezing
Coughing
Breathlessness
Tight chest
Asthma is an inflammation of airways or breathing passages in your lungs.
The main symptoms of asthma are:
- Wheeze
- Cough
- Breathlessness
- Tightness in chest
There are other factors which can influence these symptoms.
Q. What is the difference between asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)?
A. The main difference between asthma and COPD is that asthma is usually reversible. With treatment a person with asthma can have near-normal lung function and be free of symptoms between episodes / flare-ups. Asthmatic episodes with wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough will often have triggers that can be easily identified. These triggers can be seasonal or other allergens, airborne irritants such as smoke or dust, strong odours or chemicals, cold air or exercise.
COPD is characterised by airflow obstruction that is only partially reversible, or completely non-reversible. People with partial reversibility don’t usually experience the same level of improvement with medications as those with asthma. A person with COPD will always have a lung function result lower than normal, even when not sick with an episode / flare-up (exacerbation). As indicated by the name, COPD is a chronic disease. It is always there even when you’re feeling well and it does not go away.
Medication for your nebuliser
All regular medications to use with your nebuliser are available on prescription from the GP as long as the nebuliser has been prescribed for you.
Make sure that you reorder in time to ensure that you do not run out of your medication.
Do not order too many medications at one time. Medications have a use by date (expiry date) and should not be used after that time.
A word of warning! If you have bought a nebuliser without having an assessment by your doctor you are not guaranteed to get a prescription from your GP for the medicine to go in it.
