The Male Health Center - Asthma and Men

Don't Underestimate Asthma

As an ailment, asthma has had a hard time getting much respect. In part, that may be because it's so common. With 9 to 12 million asthmatics in the U.S., most people know at least one person with the condition. Yet very few people appreciate how serious a problem asthma can be—let alone that it took 4,800 lives in 1989 or that fatalities increased 46 percent from 1980.

Asthma symptoms—wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and tightness of the chest—range from mild to severe, yet anyone who has this incurable lung disease is at risk of asthma-related death. Airways can become so constricted that it becomes difficult to exhale, leading to carbon dioxide buildup in the lungs. Unconsciousness and death can follow.

It isn't clear why some of us have asthma and others don't, but over the past decade medical science has gained a much better understanding of what happens during an attack.

A bout of asthma is usually brought on by a "trigger," which could be a virus (for an initial attack); exertion; unusually cold or dry air; allergens, such as pollen, mold, food, or pets; or irritants, such smoke, strong odors, or chemical sprays. Smokers and people who live with smokers are particularly vulnerable.

The irritation produced by the trigger sparks a chain reaction in the bronchi, two large tubes leading to the lungs. Chemicals released by cells in the bronchi cause muscles around them to constrict, while the walls of the bronchi become inflamed and swell.

The understanding of how triggers bring on both constriction and inflammation has led to much more effective asthma treatment. After confirming that a lung problem actually is asthma, an allergist or pulmonologist (doctor of the lungs) can help identify triggers so that they can be avoided.

If necessary, he or she may also prescribe both anti-inflammatory and constriction-relieving medications. Depending on the severity of the problem, these may be used to stop an attack when it starts or on a regular basis to prevent attacks.

The sharp rise in deaths from asthma in recent years emphasizes how important it is to get that treatment. Self treatment, with over-the-counter medicines, may temporarily relieve symptoms, but the problem is likely to return with a vengeance. Overlooking symptoms, underestimating asthma's severity, and getting inadequate treatment are considered to be the largest contributors to asthma's rising toll.

Don't become a part of those statistics. If you or a loved one has asthma symptoms, they're nothing to shrug off. Get help and get better.

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