All about Asthma

Essay by jay88teeHigh School, 10th grade April 2004

download word file, 2 pages 3.3

Take My Breath Away

Whoopi Golber, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Glen Close, and Gerome Bettis, many people have heard of these Hollywood stars, but what do they all have in common? They all have Asthma, which is better known for it's technical name: Reversible Obstructive Airway Disease (ROAD) (Radix). Asthma has many symptoms, and there is a variety of things that upset these symptoms, but people are doing their best to treat asthmatics so they can lead normal lives.

"Asthma is a condition in which the airways of the lungs become either narrowed or completely blocked, impeding normal breathing." This lung obstruction is reversible, either with medication or spontaneously (Radix). When someone has an Asthma attack the bands of muscles that are in their throat contract, causing the airways to narrow (GS 2). It is then harder and takes more effort to force air through these obstructed airways. The whistling or rattling sound made by the forcing of air is called wheezing.

Too much stale air remains in the lungs after each breath because breathing out is difficult, which decreases the room for fresh air to fill the lungs, leaving the body with less oxygen and more carbon dioxide in the lungs. All the carbon dioxide causes acidity in the blood, which if not treated soon can become toxic (Radix).

Symptoms of Asthma can be life threatening (NJ). Some patients symptoms can "occur at least once or twice a week" (Tofani). They have classified asthmatics into four separate groups depending on the severity of their condition. If someone has symptoms less than twice a week and their symptoms do not last long, they have Mild Intermediate Asthma (GS 11). If someone has symptoms more than twice a week but not more than one time a day, they have Mild Persistent Asthma...