Healthy Indoors Magazine - USA Edition

COVER STORY— June/July 2017 10 best way to diagnose asthma for certain is to use a lung function test, a medical history (in- cluding type and frequency of symptoms), and a physical exam. The types of asthma symptoms you have, how often they occur, and how severe they are may vary over time. Sometimes your symptoms may just annoy you. Other times, they may be trouble- some enough to limit your daily routine. Severe symptoms can be fatal. It's important to treat symptoms when you first notice them so they don't become severe. With proper treatment, most people who have asthma can expect to have few, if any, symptoms either during the day or at night. What Causes Asthma Symptoms to Occur? Many things can trigger or worsen asthma symp- toms. Your doctor will help you find out which things (sometimes called triggers) may cause your asthma to flare up if you come in contact with them. Triggers may include: • Allergens from dust, animal fur, cockroach- es, mold, and pollens from trees, grasses, and flowers • Irritants such as cigarette smoke, air pollu- tion, chemicals or dust in the workplace, compounds in home décor products, and sprays (such as hairspray) types of environmental exposures and infections as children did in the past. This affects the way that young children's immune systems develop during very early childhood, and it may increase their risk for atopy and asthma. This is especially true for children who have close family members with one or both of these conditions. Who Is at Risk for Asthma? Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts during childhood. In the United States, more than 22 million people are known to have asthma. Nearly 6 million of these people are children. Young children who often wheeze and have respiratory infections—as well as certain other risk factors—are at highest risk of developing asthma that continues beyond 6 years of age. The other risk factors include having allergies, eczema (an allergic skin condition), or parents who have asthma. Among children, more boys have asthma than girls. But among adults, more women have the dis- ease than men. It's not clear whether or how sex and sex hormones play a role in causing asthma. Most, but not all, people who have asthma have allergies. Some people develop asthma because of contact with certain chemical irritants or industri- al dusts in the workplace. This type of asthma is called occupational asthma. What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Asthma? Common signs and symptoms of asthma include: • Coughing. Coughing from asthma often is worse at night or early in the morning, making it hard to sleep. • Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound that occurs when you breathe. • Chest tightness. This may feel like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest. • Shortness of breath. Some people who have asthma say they can't catch their breath or they feel out of breath. You may feel like you can't get air out of your lungs. Not all people who have asthma have these symptoms. Likewise, having these symptoms doesn't always mean that you have asthma. The

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