Did you have a cough with shortness of breath and tightness in the chest with symptoms similar to cold, but often after recovery? It’s better for you to go to see a doctor and define the illness. If you are diagnosed with asthma,  you must accept appropriate treatment.

What is asthma?   

Asthma, as a complex syndrome of chronic airway inflammation, is caused by respiratory hyperreactivity in response to the stimuli associated with various cells like mast cells and T lymphocytes. The inflammation can lead to recurrent wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and/or cough, happening at midnight or early morning, which can be alleviated by self-healing or medical treatment.

 Over the past decade, the prevalence rate or mortality of asthma has been rising in the Americas, England, Australia, Ireland and other countries. Asthma has become one of the major chronic diseases affecting public health, with more than 100 million sufferers in the world.

Common symptoms    

1. The recurrent symptoms are as follows:
•  Chest discomfort or tightness
•  Wheezing  
•  Dyspnoea (difficulty in breathing)
•  Tachypnea (rapid breathing)
•  Cough

2.Before the onset of an asthma attack, they may experience:

•  Nasal obstruction
•   Sneezing
•  Itchy eyes 

3.During a serious attack, patients may experience severe breathing difficulties that can lead to hypoxemia (low blood oxygen level) in a short time.

Relevant examinations involve:  
•  Blood test
•  Sputum examination
•  Pulmonary function tests
•  Blood gas analysis
•  X-ray examination 

Complications 
  

•  Sudden death
•  Infection of the upper respiratory tract and lungs
•  Pneumothorax (Accumulation of air or gas in the pleural space)
•  Mediastinal emphysema
•  Respiratory failure
•  Multiple organ failures

 
The facts of asthma  
 •  Asthma,  which is referred to a lifelong disease,  is still not curable,  therefore patients should not believe eye-catching advertisements of drugs or folk medicine claiming they can cure asthma completely.  The misuse of ineffective drugs not only delays the precious time to treat your illness but also leads to economic loss.
•  Although there is no curable drug of asthma, the illness can be controlled by medication under the guidance of professional doctors.
•   Most patients with recurrent asthma attacks do not use the prescription principle and as a result, often induce asthma attacks.
•   To date, the most effective remedy for asthma is corticosteroids agent. During the remission period, the use of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) is the primary choice because of its high efficacy and few side effects.
 
 
Causes of asthma  

The reasons for asthma can be divided into genetic factors, allergen factors, and trigger factors. Otherwise, the disease of the internal organs (viscera) is the major cause according to TCM.

1. Genetic factors  

In recent years, research in the field of Molecular Biology Technology, especially the relevant asthma gene has achieved remarkable results. The scientists found that human chromosomes are closely related to the onset of asthma.

2. Allergen factors  

1) General allergens

•  Dust mites, the most common allergen, are the critical trigger of asthma. The house dust mites, as the main mites, grow rapidly in damp conditions or weather conditions.
•  Fungi in the form of Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Alternaria spread in the indoor air, leading to asthma.
Pollen and grass powder are the most common allergen outdoors. For example, the pollen from woody plants can induce asthma in spring, and in autumn it is easy to catch asthma because of grass meal.
 
2) Occupational allergens 
Exposure to irritants like grain flour, animal hair, wood, silk, flax, cotton, animal feed and fungi can cause occupational asthma. The rapid development in the industry increases the risk of morbidity of occupational asthma, especially in the area of contact with detergents or proteolytic enzymes, with an incidence rate of more than 50%.
 
3) Medicines and foods such as milk, eggs, fish, shrimp, crab and their spices.  
  

3. Trigger factors    

•  Inflammation. Recurrent asthma attacks are closely related to respiratory tract infections like rhinovirus, epidemic virus, and coronavirus (the order of predominant rank).

•  Changes in the weather. The change in temperature, humidity, air pressure and ions leads to asthma, especially in winter.

•  Smoking. Tobacco smoke (including passive smoking and active smoking) is the main source of indoor triggers.   For most children who have asthma,  this was caused by their smoking parents.

•  Environmental pollution.Some substances such as gas (especially SO2),  soot, passive smoking, and insecticides can stimulate the sensitive airways and contract the bronchus, thus leading to seizures and asthma.
•  Mental factor. Nervousness and  Irritability can cause your brain to give the wrong signal or make you breathe excessively.
•  Exercise. If you have undergone intense exercises, asthma patients may experience a cough, chest tightness, and wheezing, resulting in spontaneous remission within one hour. Some patients have none of the above symptoms, but excessive exercise may trigger spasm of bronchial smooth muscle.  
•  Medication. NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin), the iodine-containing contrast agent used in hyperthyroidism, and adrenergic blockers are both risk factors for asthma.
•  Physiological factors like menstruation and pregnancy. Women who get asthma could aggravate the symptoms 3 to 4 days before menstruation, which is associated with the abrupt decrease of progesterone. 

4. Chinese medicine explains that the causes of asthma are due to viscera disorders, thus leading to accumulating sputum in the lung that attacks the airways. The most common triggers are cold or humid weather, irregular diets, mental health problems, and allergens that can damage the lungs, kidneys, and spleen if they occur frequently.