As we launch into spring, many people unfortunately find their desire to be outside more enjoying the warmer weather and longer daylight hours impeded by allergies and the possibility of an asthma attack. While the two are often talked about in the same context, they are not the same – although severe allergies my precipitate an asthma attack. A previous First Aid Handbook blog reminds us that Texas is one of the worst states for environmental allergies (Have you ever heard the expression, “If it doesn’t grow here, it blows here”?), so we typically hear and read about them both at this time of year.
National data based on results of surveys, published for 2016, indicate that slightly over 8% of children and adults in the US have asthma, with more females than males having the disease. Within three broad ethnic groups, 8,3% Whites, 11.6 % Blacks, and 6.9% Hispanics have asthma. Asthma affects people of all ages, but most often begins in childhood.
What is asthma?
Unlike allergies, which typically are better or worse depending on the day and time of year, asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways – the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of these airways become inflamed (or sore) and swollen, making them very sensitive to irritants and causing them to become narrower and less able to provide adequate air to your lungs.
The exact cause of asthma is unknown, but many researchers think that an interaction between genetic and environmental factors is likely to allow the illness to develop. Most, but not all, people who have asthma also suffer from allergies.
