Asthma is a common illness that can affect people of all ages. It is also a variable and unpredictable disease that should not be underestimated. If inadequately treated, asthma undermines the sufferer’s quality of life.

Thanks to medical research, knowledge of asthma has greatly improved in recent years. Unfortunately, no cure has yet been found. However, in most people asthma symptoms can be controlled. If you have asthma, you can play an important role in the treatment of your disease; by becoming more involved, you can help improve your quality of life and your pulmonary function.

The purpose of this...

To understand asthma, we must first understand the different parts of the respiratory system (its anatomy) and how it works (its physiology).

Air enters through the nose and mouth, and descends into the throat until it reaches the larynx, where the vocal cords are located. The air then enters the trachea, which is located below the larynx.

The lungs are like an inverted tree with the trachea as its trunk. The trachea is about 2.5 cm (just under 1 inch) in diameter in adults. It is divided into two primary bronchi, one on the right and one on the left....

There are two types of factors that can trigger an asthma attack: environmental factors (extrinsic) and personal factors (intrinsic).

Your lungs are in permanent contact with the surrounding air and the dust and particles it contains. In asthma, the bronchi often react to these substances in an exaggerated manner. Therefore the quality of the air you inhale, both inside and outside buildings, can affect the severity of the disease. The quality of your environment is essential. Try to minimize or, ideally, eliminate exposure to substances that can trigger your asthma attacks.

You must tell your doctor and your pharmacist that...

Once asthma has been diagnosed, the goal of treatment is to minimize or eliminate respiratory symptoms and restore normal lung function by

identifying the triggering factors and effectively correcting the environment, as explained in the previous chapter (using avoidance strategies);

using the minimum of drugs appropriate to the severity of the asthma;

preventing and treating flare-ups early and effectively (using a written action plan).

Medication varies according to the severity of asthma in each person. If you have asthma, you must know and understand

how to use asthma drugs and what effects they have;

what drugs you must take;

how...

Up to now we have discussed what asthma is, and how to assess its severity. We talked about measuring peak expiratory flow, about the importance of your environment, about asthma drugs and how to use them. You must also be aware of how your lifestyle affects your asthma, and, consequently, how it affects your quality of life.

It is important that your lifestyle be healthy, which means, physically, that you keep in shape by following the suggestions in this chapter, and, psychologically, that you accept your asthma and gain the support of those close to you. A healthy lifestyle reduces...