Careers
What happens to the lungs in Asthma
Asthma is a condition in which the airways of the lungs become either narrowed or completely blocked, obstructing normal breathing. This obstruction of the lungs, however, is reversible, either spontaneously or with medication. That is why asthma is technically called Reversible Obstructive Airway Disease (ROAD). The basic abnormality causing asthma is the hyper responsive reaction of the body to specific and non-specific stimuli.
Air reaches the lung through the windpipe (trachea), which divides into two large tubes (bronchi), one for each lung. Each bronchi further divides into many little tubes (bronchioles), which eventually lead to tiny air sacs (alveoli), in which oxygen from the air is transferred to the bloodstream, and carbon dioxide from the bloodstream is transferred to the air.
Although the airways normally have the potential for constricting in response to allergens or irritants, the asthmatics airways are more prone to constriction due to increased response to allergens. This insult makes the airways more prone to infection leading to inflammation and swelling causing further constriction of the pipes. Infection also causes increased mucus production and this clogs the narrowed airways.
Once the airways have become obstructed, it takes more effort to force air through them and breathing becomes labored. This forcing of air through constricted airways can make a whistling sound, called wheezing. Irritation of the airways by excessive mucus may also provoke coughing.
Because exhaling through the obstructed airways is difficult, too much stale air remains in the lungs after each breath. This decreases the amount of fresh air which can be taken in with each new breath, so not only is there less oxygen available for the whole body, but more importantly, the high concentration of carbon dioxide in the lungs causes the blood supply to become acidic. This acidity in the blood may rise to toxic levels if the asthma remains untreated.
Air reaches the lung through the windpipe (trachea), which divides into two large tubes (bronchi), one for each lung. Each bronchi further divides into many little tubes (bronchioles), which eventually lead to tiny air sacs (alveoli), in which oxygen from the air is transferred to the bloodstream, and carbon dioxide from the bloodstream is transferred to the air.
Although the airways normally have the potential for constricting in response to allergens or irritants, the asthmatics airways are more prone to constriction due to increased response to allergens. This insult makes the airways more prone to infection leading to inflammation and swelling causing further constriction of the pipes. Infection also causes increased mucus production and this clogs the narrowed airways.
Once the airways have become obstructed, it takes more effort to force air through them and breathing becomes labored. This forcing of air through constricted airways can make a whistling sound, called wheezing. Irritation of the airways by excessive mucus may also provoke coughing.
Because exhaling through the obstructed airways is difficult, too much stale air remains in the lungs after each breath. This decreases the amount of fresh air which can be taken in with each new breath, so not only is there less oxygen available for the whole body, but more importantly, the high concentration of carbon dioxide in the lungs causes the blood supply to become acidic. This acidity in the blood may rise to toxic levels if the asthma remains untreated.
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Asthma symptoms are less severe and you will eventually learn how to live with them. A good asthma attack is when this gets out of hand, your own coughing violently, cant inhale and the last two individuals I saw come with an asthma attack were upon on the floor clutching in their throat and chest.
Hi,
My son is 16 months old he has allergic Asthama, I have to take him to Dr on regular basis, specially in last winter. He was nebulized on regular basis in winter.
I live in Ajmer.
Vijay Kumar
I have heard that linseed oil paint in the home is something that will help in preventing asthma attacks as it contains no chemicals,does anyone know if this is true
hi i have asthma it was thought to be copd i dont smoke i get emotional at times it has be playing up with chest infection i get stessed too im glad its not copd for that could be worse i died came back doctors fought to save me in laganvalley hospital in lisburn ty to them there work was great i feel better than i was a blessing
Another consideration is the humidity level in the home, which can be measured using a hygrometer. A dry atmosphere has health concerns and it is a humidifier that is used to add moisture to the air in the home. A humidifier can be either for the whole house or a small humidifier ideal for a room.