Asthma - DRHC Dubai Pulmonary Medicine Clinic

Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Department at Dr. Rami Hamed Center

What is Asthma?

The air that you breathe goes from your mouth and nose to your lungs. The lungs are made up of airways that get smaller and smaller, like the branches of a tree. Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways (breathing tubes) in the lungs and during an asthma attack, three things happen:

1. The airways are squeezed a little: Tiny muscles around the airways squeeze like rubber bands that are just a little tight.
2. The sides of the airways swell up: This makes the airways sensitive to things that start asthma attacks.
3. The insides of the airways make too much mucus.

All of these changes make the airways narrow, so it is hard for air to go in and out of your lungs.  This can make it hard to breathe and cause other asthma symptoms like coughing and wheezing.

What causes asthma?

Many different things (called triggers) can make asthma worse:

• Allergens – pollen, pets, cockroach, mold, dust mites
• Irritants – smoke, perfumes, cleaning products
• Colds, weather changes, exercise, emotions

It is important to learn about your asthma triggers since they can be different for different people.  Knowing your triggers and how to avoid them can help keep you healthy.

What are asthma symptoms?

Symptoms are what you feel in your body. Everybody is different, but here are some common asthma symptoms:

• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Chest tightness or chest pain

You might have just some or all of these symptoms at times. They might not bother you much or they might feel very bad if your asthma is flaring up.

What can you do to control your asthma and prevent symptoms?

There is no cure for asthma, but there is a lot you can do to control your asthma so that you can live a normal, active life and sleep through the night without asthma problems.

Medicine will open up the airways. One kind is taken every day to keep swelling down. Another kind relaxes the muscles during an asthma attack so the muscles will not squeeze the airways.

Talk to your doctor if you have more symptoms than usual or need to use your quick-relief medicine more often.

Dubai Pulmonary Medicine Clinic - Are you suffering from chest pain, asthma, or sleep apnea? Dr. Rami Hamed Center provides one of the leading pulmonologists in Dubai. To book your an appointment please call at +97142798200 today!