What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your breathing. During an asthma attack, the airways to your lungs become narrow and inflamed. That reduces the flow of oxygen and makes breathing difficult.
Asthma symptoms can be mild or severe, and include:
- Coughing
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Tightness in the chest.
Asthma often begins in childhood and can be fatal if you don't receive treatment for severe symptoms.
What causes asthma?
The exact cause of asthma isn’t known, but it could be a combination of environmental and genetic factors.
A chronic disease, several factors can trigger an asthmatic response, including:
- Strenuous exercise
- Severe heartburn
- Environmental, food, and food additive allergies
- Smoking
- Sinusitis and upper respiratory tract infections
- Some medications
Asthma is different for each person, so be sure to tell your doctor if you have noticed things that make your symptoms worse.
How is asthma diagnosed and treated?
Molani Medical Group offers convenient, on-site access to full laboratory panels and breathing function tests to diagnose your asthmatic condition accurately.
During your appointment, Dr. Fatima will evaluate your symptoms and perform a full medical exam that includes your family history and spirometry to check your lung function.
This test not only measures how much air you can breathe in and out but also measures how quickly you can exhale air. Allergies often go hand-in-hand with asthma, so Dr. Fatima might recommend additional allergy testing.
Following your exam and testing, Dr. Fatima will closely discuss your condition and offer recommendations for your treatment. These may include lifestyle changes, as well as quick-relief and long-term medications.
Can asthma be cured?
Asthma is incurable, but symptoms can lessen over time. Dr. Fatima will work with you to track your asthma symptoms to measure the effectiveness of your treatment.
Your asthma is considered controlled if:
- You can perform your regular activities
- You only have one asthma attack each year requiring oral corticosteroids
- Quick-relief medications are needed less than two days each week
- Your symptoms don’t wake you from sleep more than two nights each month
If you are looking for treatment for asthma symptoms, call Molani Medical Group or schedule an appointment online today.
