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| Keeping Up With…..Asthma |
What is Asthma?
Our understanding of asthma has changed completely over the
last few years. Until recently, many physicians defined asthma as a reversible
spasm of the airways. Now, we consider it to be a chronic inflammatory disease
of the breathing tubes. The old definition emphasized the episodic tightening
of the airways, while the newer concept stresses the ongoing airway
irritation.
Why is
this Important?
This new
understanding has changed our entire approach to asthma therapy.
As
anyone with asthma knows, the tight, suffocating sensation of an asthma attack
is no fun! However, getting better requires the right approach to treating the
disease. Although the tight chest of an asthma attack is dramatic, prompting
treatment with an inhaled bronchodilator such as albuterol, the sensation of
relief is usually short lived.
Because asthma is really an ongoing
process, lasting relief is better achieved by controlling the smoldering
inflammation. When the airways are less irritated, they spasm less severely and
less often than fully inflamed airways.
How does this affect me?
While therapy needs to be individualized, we now have several
ways of intervening in the inflammatory process. Some medications that are
useful are the corticosteroids, with the inhaled route of administration
preferred, leukotriene inhibitors, membrane stabilizers, and sometimes
immunotherapy.
Your physician can help to place you on a more effective
combination of medications to reduce the root causes of your
asthma. |
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