What is it?
A chronic lung disease that causes the airways to become inflamed and produce a thick mucus coating, making it hard to breathe.
Why does it happen?
Asthma sufferers have as many as 100 times the number of natural-killer T (NKT) cells as non-sufferers. An attack occurs when these cells overreact to harmless substances such as dust and smoke. Additional triggers can include:
-Allergens, such as mold or animal dander
-Changes in weather
-Viral or sinus infections
-Stress or anxiety
-Gastroesophageal reflux disease
What can you do about it?
To help control attacks, your doctor may prescribe:
-Oral, injected or inhaled anti-inflammatory drugs, such as corticosteroids.
-Leukotriene modifiers, which fight the chemicals that may be responsible for tightened airways and inflammation in the lungs.
-Bronchodilators, which increase air flow during an attack. These are available as an inhaler or pump and are usually administered when medication is needed right away.
What should women know?
Women are more prone to asthma, and a recent study in the Journal of Asthma revealed that women are also more likely to require urgent asthma care. Each year, asthma kills more than 5,000 people, 65 percent of them women.
-Tomatoes, carrots and leafy greens could lower your risk for asthma, according to a new study from the National Institute of Public Health in Cuernavaca, Mexico. These veggies are high in vitamin A, which helps regulate your immune system and maintain the lining of your respiratory tract.
-Two asthma medications, Advair and Serevent Inhalation Aerosol, now bear black-box warnings of a small but significant increase in asthma-related deaths associated with one of their ingredients, salmeterol. These two drugs should only be used in cases of severe asthma, or if other asthma drugs don’t work.
-The recent research into NKT cells is spurring a new push for a cure. Immunologists hope that if they can find drugs that target or eliminate these problem cells, they may be able to treat asthma more effectively.
Did you know?
-The number of cases increased 75 percent from 1980 to 1994. Today, about 20 million Americans suffer from asthma.
-The disease is 35 percent more common in women than in men.
-You’re more likely to have asthma if you have allergic rhinitis (seasonal allergies). More than 70 percent of people with asthma also suffer from allergies.
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