What is Asthma
Asthma is horrid. Normally our breathing is quite effortless and not even noticed, but with asthma it becomes an effort. Asthma is a condition whereby the smaller airways of the lungs constrict from time to time, causing typical symptoms. The duration and extent of narrowing vary and they determine the degree of severity of the disease. Asthma affects people of all ages, however, it tends to starts in childhood and runs in family. Certain asthma sufferers have no family members who have asthma.
Frightening, too, if the asthma is bad—not knowing if you are going to get enough breath to be all right : it can even be life threatening. The most important sign of asthma is an unusually large amount of a product of the immune defense system called Immunoglobulin E (IgE). IgE appears in the blood and tissues of people with asthma or with other allergic reactions. There is a less common form of asthma, however, which is not allergic in origin; people with so-called intrinsic or late-onset asthma do not have abnormal amounts of IgE in their blood.
The antigens producing asthma vary from person to person. Pollens, the fur of household pets, and house dust are among the most common.
Filed under: Asthma & Allergy