What Is Asthma? -- Diagnosis
If you have possible
symptoms of asthma, you should see your doctor. He or she may have you do some breathing tests to see how narrow your airway is. He or she also may have you breathe in small doses of medicine to see if your airway reacts. A chest x-ray may be needed to rule out other airway and lung diseases. If you are diagnosed with asthma, your doctor can help you identify the triggers that cause your asthma to worsen.
What Is Asthma? -- Treatment
Asthma can be well controlled with medications. Depending on how frequently you get
asthma symptoms, your doctor may give you short-term and/or long-term asthma medications. Short-term medications are only used when you have a sudden attack of asthma. They can open up your airway quickly to allow more airflow to your lungs. Long-term medications are used in people who have frequent asthma symptoms to provide long-term relief. These medicines make the airway less sensitive to triggers.
What Is Asthma? -- Statistics
In the United States, about 15 million people have asthma. Nearly 5 million of them are children. Asthma is closely linked to
allergies. Most, but not all, people with asthma have allergies. Children with a family history of allergy and asthma are more likely to have asthma.
Although asthma affects people of all ages, it often starts in childhood, and is more common in children than adults. More boys have asthma than girls; but in adulthood, more women have asthma than men.
Although asthma is a problem among all races, blacks have more asthma attacks and are more likely than whites to be hospitalized for asthma attacks and to die from asthma.
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