Asthma

 What is asthma? 

The word "asthma" was first recorded in 400 BC in ancient Greece, and it means "panting" in the Greek language. Asthma is reported to cause an average of 250,000 deaths per year, and specifically 455,000 in the year 2019 alone, according to the WHO. Asthma is a chronic, non-communicable condition that affects the lungs' airways, causing inflammation and sometimes narrowing of the Airways, which can lead to difficulty breathing. 

Asthma patients can experience asthma exacerbations or attacks caused by external triggers like exercise (heavy movement) and pollen allergies.

The TH-2 cells, which are pivotal players in the immune response, receive the environmental triggers and initiate a cell production sequence that causes narrowing of the Airways or spasming, as mentioned earlier. That's why asthma is considered an obstructive pulmonary disease.

Symptoms of asthma include:

-Coughing

-Tightness of the chest

-Shortness of breath

-Wheezing or heaving movements when breathing

Causes of asthma:

Causes of asthma aren't clearly pinpointed, but it's likely due to a combination of genetic factors like a gene responsible for causing asthma or family history of asthma, and constant exposure to environmental triggers like toxins, smokes, and allergies.

Treatment:

There's no known cure to asthma, but keeping away from environmental triggers, using an inhaler and taking prescription medicine can keep things under control.