Asthma
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a common lung condition that causes breathing difficulties because of inflammation and narrowing of the airways in the lungs. It can also cause people to produce more mucus than usual, which can lead to coughing or shortness of breath. Asthma is a long-term, or ‘chronic’, condition and needs ongoing medical management.
Who does Asthma affect?
Asthma can affect people of all ages, and around five million people in the UK have some form of asthma. Some people develop asthma in childhood and experience symptoms to some degree throughout their lives. Other people with childhood asthma find that symptoms improve or disappear as they get older, while some adults develop symptoms later in life without any previous history of asthma at all.
What are the symptoms?
Asthma makes the airways in the lungs swollen and sensitive, which can cause wheezing, breathlessness, tight chest and coughing. It is helpful to monitor symptoms regularly, and for people with severe asthma this is essential. You can find advice on how to monitor symptoms on the Asthma + Lung UK website.
What if I have some of these symptoms?
If you have any of these symptoms, speak to your GP or practice nurse as they may wish to complete some tests, or refer you to a specialist team. If you don’t have a GP, you can search for local GP services on the Service Finder web page. You may be asked to blow into a tube (spirometry test) to check how well your lungs are working, have an allergy test or a chest X-ray. Click here to find out more.
What are the causes of Asthma?
The exact cause of asthma is not really understood. People with allergies, family history of asthma, children exposed to tobacco or smoking during pregnancy, or premature babies may be more at risk of developing asthma. Some people may have occupational asthma, which is asthma caused by inhaling irritants in the workplace. A number of factors are known to irritate the airways and can trigger asthma symptoms. These ‘triggers’ include allergies, airborne pollutants, damp environments, exercise, certain anti-inflammatory pain relief and sudden weather changes such as cold air or extreme heat.
It is common for asthma to be linked with eczema and allergies- these three conditions together are known as the atopic triad.
What is an Asthma attack?
People with asthma may experience sudden temporary narrowing of the airways, which is called an asthma attack. People may recognise certain warning signs a day or two before an asthma attack, but signs may be mild and not seem to relate to asthma at all. If you have any of these symptoms mentioned above, contact your GP. People with asthma can check their risk of an asthma attack using the Risk Checker on the Asthma + Lung UK website and information about asthma attacks can be found here.
How is Asthma treated?
The exact cause of asthma is not really understood. People with allergies, family history of asthma, children exposed to tobacco or smoking during pregnancy, or premature babies may be more at risk of developing asthma. Some people may have occupational asthma, which is asthma caused by inhaling irritants in the workplace. A number of factors are known to irritate the airways and can trigger asthma symptoms. These ‘triggers’ include allergies, airborne pollutants, damp environments, exercise, certain anti-inflammatory pain relief and sudden weather changes such as cold air or extreme heat.
It is common for asthma to be linked with eczema and allergies- these three conditions together are known as the atopic triad.
How does Asthma affect daily life?
Although asthma can be very serious for some people, most people who have asthma cope well when receiving the right treatment and can have a healthy and active life. It is very important for inhalers to continue to be used as prescribed, even when there are no symptoms present. Asthma can affect different people in different ways. Some people have very little, or no symptoms and others may have daily symptoms affecting daily activities. For example, some might experience tiredness, or fatigue caused by lower levels of oxygen in the blood.
Children with asthma early in life may experience slightly delayed puberty. People may experience psychological effects such as low mood or anxiety. Information about managing the physical effects of asthma and living with Asthma can be found on the NHS website. information about looking after your mental health can be found on the Mental Health Foundation website. Information about how to exercise safely can be found here. You can find out more on our Health and Wellbeing web pages.
What can I do to help myself?
If you have asthma, you should identify and avoid things which could trigger symptoms, such as:
- Pollen
- Grasses
- Airborne pollutants
- Extreme temperatures.
Keeping physically active and eating well will help too. During cold weather try to stay as warm as possible and keep your nose and mouth covered when you go out. You should take all medications as prescribed and make sure your inhaler technique is reviewed and you can use your inhalers. Stay up to date with vaccinations, particularly for flu, pneumonia and COVID-19. It is also important to attend a yearly check up with your GP or a nurse and to have an asthma action plan in place. If you smoke you should try to stop and avoid inhaling other people’s smoke, which is known as ‘passive smoking’. Details about support to give up smoking can be found here. You can find local Stop Smoking services using the Service Finder tool.
Asthma Attacks – How to recognise one, the dangers of them and what to do
If you think you’re having an asthma attack, you should:
- Sit up straight – try to keep calm.
- Take one puff of your reliever inhaler (usually blue) every 30 to 60 seconds up to 10 puffs.
- If you feel worse at any point, or you do not feel better after 10 puffs, call 999 for an ambulance.
- If the ambulance has not arrived after 10 minutes and your symptoms are not improving, repeat step 2.
- If your symptoms are no better after repeating step 2, and the ambulance has still not arrived, contact 999 again immediately.
Never be frightened of calling for help in an emergency- severe asthma attacks can be fatal. Try to take the details of your medicines (or your personal asthma action plan) with you to hospital if possible.
If your symptoms improve and you do not need to call 999, get an urgent same-day appointment to see a GP or asthma nurse. This advice is not for people on SMART or MART treatment. If this applies to you, ask a GP or asthma nurse what to do if you have an asthma attack.
(Adapted from NHS Conditions website).
Resources
Quit Smoking- NHS Better Health
Keeping active with a lung condition- ASTHMA+LUNG UK