Following on from the previous article Asthma History, which concerned itself about some of the allergy asthma history information available, we’ll now take a look at what allergy asthma is and also some of its symptoms.
Asthma is a condition that specifically affects the airways. These are the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs.
When a person suffering from allergy asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways (known as an asthma trigger), the muscles surrounding the walls of the airways tighten causing the airways to become narrower. The lining of the airways also becomes inflamed and starts to swell. Sometimes a sticky mucus or phlegm layer builds up which can further narrow the airways.
The upshot of this is that all these reactions will cause the airways to become narrower and irritated in some way, making it more difficult to breath than normal and leading to symptoms of asthma.
The typical symptoms of allergy asthma are:
- coughing
- wheezing
- shortness of breath
- tightness in the chest.
Not everyone will display all of these symptoms. Some people can experience them from time to time and also a few people may experience these symptoms all the time.