Asthma - What Happens in Your Lungs?
Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the lungs that is still incurable. Chronic means it is permanent.
With asthma, the mucous membranes in the lungs are always irritated, which can cause many symptoms.
If you have asthma, your lungs are extra sensitive to stimuli that don't bother other people at all. Think of smoke, exhaust fumes, dust mites, or pets.
With asthma, the lungs react violently to these stimuli, which can cause shortness of breath or make you cough. Shortness of breath is perhaps one of the most well-known symptoms of asthma. Some people with asthma cough a lot. Wheezing is also a common symptom of asthma. If you have asthma, you may occasionally experience shortness of breath. Shortness of breath means that you quickly become out of breath and feel the urge to gasp for air. Asthma doesn't cause symptoms constantly, but it is still a chronic disease. This is because the lungs are always somewhat inflamed with asthma.
Asthma can develop at any age, although many people experience the disease as children. Research has shown that genetic predisposition is a cause of asthma. In the Netherlands, more than half a million people are diagnosed with asthma. There are different types of asthma, including allergic asthma, intrinsic asthma, and severe asthma. People often have multiple forms of asthma simultaneously. Asthma cannot be cured, but it is usually well-controlled. Most people with asthma are prescribed medication by their general practitioner or pulmonologist. More information about asthma, its symptoms, treatment, and what you can do yourself can be found at www.longfonds.nl/astma