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Asthma Overview
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that makes it difficult for air to pass through your lungs properly. It can start at any age and nearly 26 million Americans have asthma, 7 million of them being children. Unfortunately, there is no cure for asthma. However, with proper management, people living with asthma can live completely normal and healthy lives without asthma.
The Causes of Asthma
The swollen airways in the lungs become sensitive to certain triggers, and when those triggers enter the body, those airways create extra mucus making it difficult to breathe which leads to asthma attacks, complications and sometimes death. The key is to understand the triggers that cause asthma. Sometimes, you may not even know you have it until you’re exposed to those triggers. This means the environment you live in is a huge cause and risk factor of asthma. Additionally, genetics is a risk factor for asthma.
Symptoms of Asthma
You may be wondering if your child has asthma, but unsure if it’s something else. If any of these symptoms occur chronically or only around certain triggers, they may have asthma:
- Tight feeling in the chest
- Shortness of breath
- Coughing
- Wheezing
Diagnosis and Treatment for Asthma
If you or your child are having problems breathing on a regular basis please see your provider right away. Call New Smyrna Beach MD at (407) 767-0009, or schedule your appointment online. Your provider will discuss your medical history with you and perform a physical exam. You may need a lung function test and maybe other tests, such as a chest or sinus X-ray.