What causes asthma attack?« Back to Questions List

Asthma is a medical condition when the airways in the lungs get constricted due to various reasons resulting in breathing difficulty. The difficulty in breathing is what is referred to as wheezing. Wheezing is a high pitched whistling sound that occurs when breathing is attempted through narrow tubes. It can affect any age group but is worse in young children.

The small airways that carry air in and out of the lungs become irritated. This irritation causes inflammation. The mucus lining the airways further narrows them down. It then becomes difficult to breathe. The whistle sound could be heard either when inhaling, exhaling or both the activities. 

Lots of environmental factors like pollution, sudden changes in the weather, changes in temperature like moving out of an AC room after a long time, pollen, activities like dusting and many other factors increase the risk of developing the condition. All these factors can act as a trigger to asthmatic attack.

As a temporary relief, inhalers are used. One such inhaler is Albuterol inhaler which acts to reduce chest congestion. They try to relax the muscles in the airways that tighten during an asthmatic attack. One inhalation of this inhaler gives out 90gms of medication. Though it acts a quick relief to breathing difficulty, it should not be used regularly for the control of asthma. One must keep oneself fit by improving one’s health and avoiding the asthmatic triggers.

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