Asthma

1
Asthma

• By Stanley Kwok

2
Table of Contents

• Table of Contents.................................
  ..2
• What is Asthma....................................
  ..3
• History of Asthma.................................
  ..4
• Causes of Asthma..................................
  5
• Dangers of Asthma.................................
  6
• Ways to Control Asthma.........................7
• Relievers.........................................
  ........8
• Preventers........................................
  .......9
• Types of Medication...............................
  10
• Experiences with Asthma.......................11
• Everyday life with Asthma......................12
• Bibliography......................................
  ......13

3
What is Asthma?

• Asthma is a common condition which involves
  difficulty in breathing for the victim.
• During the attack, the victim often breathes in
  short gasps, then forces the breath out with a
  long wheeze.
• This is caused by narrowing of the bronchial
  tubes when the muscles around it become sensitive
  and contract.
• Asthma can be mild, moderate, or severe it
  varies from person to person.
• Victims usually feel a tightness in the chest
  during the attack.
• It can show up from time to time, or not show up
  for a long time.

4
History of Asthma

• Asthma-like symptoms were first discovered and
  recorded in Egypt about 3500 years ago.
• In Homers Iliad, the word asthma was also used.
• Asthma means Laboured Breathing in Greek.
• Romans treated asthma by giving owls blood in
  wine!
• The first book ever about asthma was written in
  1190, by Moses Maimonides.
• He wrote that asthma was sudden bouts of
  breathlessness.
• He suggested abundant amounts of chicken soup and
  sexual abstinence for sufferers.
• Physicians later discovered asthma was due to
  narrowing of the bronchi.

5
Causes of Asthma

• There are many causes of asthma, but most people
  blame it on second-hand smoke and pollution.
• There is also a theory that says asthma is a
  disease of hygiene.
• Babies are exposed to bacteria shortly after
  birth, causing the Th1 lymphocyte of the immune
  system to activate and attack the bacteria.
• It is said that asthma and other allergic
  diseases could develop if the stimulus is not
  sufficient.
• This theory is called the Hygiene Hypothesis,
  and it explains the increase of asthma in our
  world.
• Another theory, which is related to the above,
  states that instead of bacteria, babies are
  exposed to parasites, and the Th2 lymphocytes and
  eosinophil react to these parasites, causing an
  allergic reaction.
• Many things trigger asthma, such as allergens
  that are inhaled, cold air, and intense exercise.
• Respiratory infections, emotional stress,
  chemicals in some foods, and aspirin and similar
  medications are also capable of triggering asthma.

6
Dangers of having Asthma

• Asthma could be a dangerous disease.
• It may strike anytime, anywhere.
• It is especially dangerous when you do not have
  medication with you when it strikes.
• Patients with asthma also should not have any
  pets that shed hair, such as a dog or cat.
• They should also avoid using medications such as
  aspirin and other similar kinds of medication.

7
Ways to Control Asthma

• There have been many remedies among the folk
  people.
• There is no cure for asthma but there are many
  ways to control it.
• They are mainly categorized into 2 categories
  Relievers and Preventers.
• These 2 types of medication will be further
  discussed in following slides.

8
Relievers

• Relievers relax the muscles of the airways
  quickly, opening the airways, relieving the
  difficulty in breathing. They are used when
  asthma strikes.
• Relievers are then further divided into
  sub-categories beta-2 agonists,
  anticholinergics, and theophyllines.
• Beta-2 agonists affect the molecule-sized
  receptors on the muscle, causing it to relax.
• There are also Relievers that act over a longer
  period of time, salmeterol and formoterol.
• They last over 12 hours, making it suitable for a
  daily dosage to keep the airways open the whole
  day, instead of just when there is an attack.
• Anticholinergics block the impulses that cause
  the muscle of the airway to contract.
• The effect of anticholinergics is not very
  significant, so it is only noticeable if the
  airways have been narrowed beforehand by other
  conditions.
• Ipratropium and oxitropium are two examples of
  anticholinergics, their effect lasts three to six
  hours, but they have the greatest effect thirty
  to sixty minutes after inhalation.
• Theophyllines are more likely to produce side
  effects than inhaled medication because it is
  given by mouth.
• They are not very common in Britain, but they are
  widely used throughout the world.

9
Preventers

• Preventers, are used over a long period of time.
• When used well, they greatly reduce the chances
  for an attack. Then, there will be less need for
  relievers.
• There are 3 main groups of preventers
  corticosteroids, cromones, and leukotriene
  receptor antagonists.
• Corticosteroids have made a huge difference in
  the prevention of asthma attacks.
• They reduce the amount of contraction, and
  inflammation of the airways.
• Many asthma patients now have almost symptom-free
  lives because of corticosteroids.
• They are usually inhaled, but there are steroid
  tablets for severe situations.
• Cromones work to reduce inflammation of the
  airways.
• There are 2 medicines in this group sodium
  cromoglicate, and nedocromil.
• They are best for a mild case of asthma, and for
  children.
• Cromones are also given by inhalation.
• Leukotriene receptor antagonists are taken as
  tablets, and there are currently 2 types of this
  medicine existing montelukast and zafirlukast.
• They reverse the constriction of the airways,
  caused by compounds released by inflammatory
  cells within the lungs.

10
Types of Medication

• A type of delivery device for a Reliever.

• Another type of inhaler, but this one is a type
  of Preventer.

11
Experiences with Asthma

• I remember when I was little, I used to eat a
  couple of pills when I had an attack.
• These pills were probably theophyllines, a type
  of reliever.
• I could only breathe more easily when sitting up.
• It was possible that I had asthma attacks because
  my grandma smoked, and also because of the
  pollution in Hong Kong.

12
Everyday life with Asthma

• Nowadays, many patients live a normal life.
• Corticosteroids have made this possible for the
  many asthma patients in this world.
• However, there are some that do not have almost
  symptom-free lives, such as in Hong Kong.
• Asthma patients are more troubled in more
  polluted places, such as Hong Kong.
• Even though asthma has not showed up for a long
  time, it could suddenly show up during intense
  exercise, occasionally leading to death.

13
Bibliography

• Asthma Society of Canada. What is Asthma?
  Asthma.ca. December 2004. ltwww.asthma.ca/adults/
  about/whatisasthma.phpgt
• The History of Asthma. The Asthma-Help Site.
  lthttp//www.asthma-help.co.uk/historypda.htmgt
• Dr Carl J Brandt and Dr Finn Rasmussen.
  Asthma. netdoctor.co.uk. 1 February 2002.
  lthttp//www.netdoctor.co.uk/diseases/facts/asthma.
  htmgt
• Vincent E. Friedewald Jr., B.S., M.D. and Vincent
  E. Friedewald III, B.A. Asthma. MSN Encarta.
  2004. lthttp//encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761578
  829/Asthma.html gt
• Asthma. Wikipedia. 10 December 2004.
  lthttp//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronchial_asthmagt