Picture 23. 1 of these 20 children is likely to suffer from asthma.
Some facts about asthma are:
asthma is a very common and distressing disease.
asthma affects people of all ages.
about 1 in 5 children will suffer from asthma at some time in their lives.
asthma affects about 1 in 20 people in western society.
asthma kills about 1500 people a year in the UK alone.
The causes
The causes and triggers for asthma attacks vary from one person to another. An asthma attack might be set off by one or more of the following:
allergens including dirt, animal fur and dust mites
very hot or very cold air
smoke or fumes
exercise
stress.
Picture 24. The lungs in their normal state and during an asthma attack.
The symptoms
The main symptoms of asthma are breathlessness and wheezing, tightness in the chest and coughing, particularly at night or in the early morning.
The diagram shows the tubes in the lungs in their normal state and also during an asthma attack. The larger one is the bronchus and the smaller ones are called bronchioles. During an asthma attack the bronchial tubes become narrower, making it difficult to breathe. This is called bronchoconstriction. The tube walls also become inflamed and secrete mucus. This makes breathing even more difficult.
The good news
With regular treatment and new medicines, most asthmatics can lead a normal life. The next page tells the story of the development of a treatment for asthma.
