Everyone with asthma experiences the narrowing of the airway passages. Mucus may also fill the airways, resulting in chest congestion and cough. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that can be serious as well as life threatening. Currently, there is no cure for the disease and managing the symptoms helps with living a normal life. Disability, high economic cost and preventable deaths are common among those diagnosed with the disease.
Description of the Disease Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition, which causes bronchial hyperresponsiveness to a variety of stimuli and is characterized by narrowing or blocking of the airways and affects both adults and children (Egans, 2003). Asthma is classified as an obstructive lung disease. The word asthma was derived from the ancient Greek word for panting because of the labored breathing that is characteristic of an attack (Murray, 2000).
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The chest tightness can be described as a squeezing sensation or feeling as if something is sitting on the chest. People may experience some of these symptoms, but not all of them, and the symptoms alone do not confirm a diagnosis of asthma. At the onset, these symptoms may range from mild to severe, and an episode may last a few minutes, up to days, depending on the episode. With proper treatment, most people who have asthma can expect to have fewer, if any, asthma attacks (Egan, 2003). Triggers for an asthma attack includes allergen irritants, physical activity, foods, and a respiratory virus. Asthma is commonly divided into two types: intrinsic and extrinsic. Extrinsic asthma occurs when symptoms are caused by an allergic reaction; intrinsic asthma is triggered by factors not associated with an allergic reaction (Murray, 2000). Examples of non-allergic triggers include exercise, stress, anxiety, and cold weather (Egan,