Asthma affects breathing and is very common. Pharmaceutical research has led to medicines that make breathing easier by enlarging the airways and reducing inflammation. Today, many patients lead normal lives with much less emergency treatment in hospital.
Disease: Asthma
Last update: June 2008
Intro
FAQ
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What is it?
Asthma is a complex group of disorders. In asthma, the airways become constricted, the lungs become inflamed and thick bronchial mucus is produced. This seriously affects breathing. Asthma attacks can be triggered by many things, including pollen, animal hairs, dust mites, certain foodstuffs, cold air, anxiety and exercise. Acute asthma often requires emergency hospital treatment. -
Who gets it?
Asthma is very common in adults and children, throughout Europe. It is the most frequent cause for being off sick from school and is among one of the most common reasons for visiting the doctor. -
What can be done about it?
There are two main types of treatment: those that enlarge the airways and those that reduce the inflammation. Both can be given in inhalers. Response to treatment can be limited and tolerance can develop. -
What does the future hold?
A lot of research is aimed at improving ways of delivering existing medications into the lungs. The mechanism of asthma is very complex. This means that there are many possibilities for new therapies. Research is continuing into: preventing the accumulation in the lungs of the cells involved in inflammation, blocking the release of inflammatory substances from these cells, blocking the activity of the inflammatory substances, and developing new agents that open the airways.