There is no cure for asthma

People with asthma experience intensified symptoms during an asthma attack, which occurs when exposure to allergens or other stimuli further inflame the airways, leading to an inability to expel trapped air from the lungs.

There is no cure for asthma. People with asthma have a chronic and variable, but controllable, condition. Patients can combine education, lung function measurement, avoidance techniques, lifestyle changes and appropriate medications to reduce the likelihood of experiencing symptoms. Such a comprehensive approach is known as asthma management.

The key goals in an asthma management plan include achieving the following:
• Minimal or nonexistent chronic symptoms
• Minimal or nonexistent flare-ups
• No restrictions on physical activity
• No missed work or school days due to asthma
• No emergency room visits or hospital room stays
• Minimal need to use short-acting inhaled beta-agonists
• Minimal or nonexistent side effects due to medications

Once an individual has been diagnosed with asthma, a physician will develop a specific asthma action plan to help the patient monitor the condition.

Asthma Attacks

Asthma attacks occur when an allergen (a substance the body perceives as a threat, triggering an allergic reaction) or irritant triggers an exaggerated response in a person with asthma (chronically sensitized or inflamed airways). Shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing and wheezing (a whistling or high-pitched sound that results when breathing tubes are narrowed or obstructed) are among the symptoms that appear as the airways constrict and air becomes trapped in the lungs.

An asthma attack targets the body’s bronchial tubes, which bring oxygen to the lungs when a person inhales and remove carbon dioxide from the body when a person exhales. The diameter of these tubes narrows dramatically during an asthma attack due to a combination of factors, including:

1) Inflammation and swelling of the lining of the tube
2) Mucus buildup in the tube
3) Smooth-muscle tightening around the tube

As a result, the person is less able to move air into and out of the lungs. A person experiencing an asthma attack must immediately take prescribed medication such as an inhaled bronchodilator or an injection of epinephrine contained in an allergy kit. The longer an attack continues, the greater the risk of severe health consequences. People experiencing an asthma attack who do not have medication or have symptoms that are not relieved with medication should seek immediate emergency medical care. In rare cases, asthma attacks can be fatal.