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• Asthma is a chronic lung disease which causes inflammation of the airways that carry oxygen to the lungs, making breathing extremely difficult. An asthma attack occurs when the airways, or bronchial tubes, become constricted. Severity of asthma attacks vary from mild to potentially life-threatening.

  There is no known cure for asthma, but there are a variety of different types of treatments available to help control symptoms of the disease. Many asthmatics take a combination of medications like inhaled corticosteroids or leukotriene inhibitors such as Singulair to help control the disease on a long-term basis along with a short-term "rescue" medication, like albuterol, for acute asthma attacks.MayoClinic: Asthma: Treatments and drugs

• Fast Facts

  1. Also called: Bronchial asthma
  2. Type of ailment: lung disease
  3. Duration: asthma is a chronic disease
  4. Common medication or therapy: inhaled corticosteroids, leukotriene inhibitors and short-acting bronchodilators
  5. Cause: constricted bronchial tubes in the lungs

• Asthma Symptoms

  Asthma symptoms vary depending on the severity of the disease, but may include shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness or pain and coughing. Symptoms of an asthma attack may include severe wheezing, uncontrolled coughing, rapid breathing and tightening of the neck and chest muscles.WebMD: Asthma Symptoms

• Treatment Side Effects

  Side effects from inhaled corticosteroids are not common, but may include sore throat or mouth, hoarseness, coughing or bronchial spasms, thrush and cataracts.WebMD: Inhaled corticosteroids for long-term control of asthma

  Side effects from short-term "rescue" medications are more common, and may include wheezing, shortness of breath, diarrhea, chest pain, uneven heart beats, tremors and high blood pressure.Drugs.com: Albuterol

• United States Statistics

  1. More than 22 million Americans, including children, suffer from asthmaWebMD: What Is Asthma?
  2. An estimated 4,000 people die from asthma each year; asthma is listed as a contributing factor to another 7,000 deaths annuallyAsthma and Allergy Foundation of America: Mortality
  3. More than two million people visit an emergency room each year because of asthmaWebMD: What Is Asthma?

• Disclaimer

  The content on this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact a physician for information on asthma.

  
  | Asthma | Lung Disease | Lungs | Emphysema | COPD - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease | Bronchitis | Inhaled Corticosteroids | Cheap Cigarettes | Albuterol | Salmeterol | Bambuterol | Prednisone | Singulair | Formoterol

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