Citizens of Midwood City are suffering from a long-term chronic respiratory disease in our human lungs, people call this disease Asthma. According to WebMD, it is a disease that affects “25 million Americans and causes nearly 2 million emergency room visits per year”. Moving on, Asthma makes breathing extremely difficult because it causes the airway to work up and is limited. Typical asthma symptoms show “coughing, wheezing, breathing difficulties, and tightness in the chest. On the other hand, critical asthma symptoms show talking and moving difficulties”. In other words, both typical and critical asthma could lead to a life-threatening situation.
People with asthma can live properly only if they had the proper treatment from a professional. If people with asthma never seek proper treatment, this could lead to people departing from life. Even if they do not pass on, Asthma could affect their home and work routine. According to WebMD, asthma can be classified based on their severity. “The lowest is mild persistent asthma, where there are only a few asthma attacks. In the middle, we have moderate persistent asthma, where an asthma attack might affect the activities of someone. The highest is severe persistent asthma, where the asthma attack was so frequent that the person has to limit their activities”. Furthermore, people with asthma can seek the help of albuterol inhalers. According to very well health, “albuterol is an instant-relief medication used to treat wheezing and shortness of breath caused by asthma”.
Moving on, based on the patient data from Midwood hospital records, the apparent cause of the increase in an asthma attack would be the distance from the highway, the number of pets, the average hour of exercise, age, and the number of smokers in the household. First, the distance from the highway affects the number of asthma attacks. According to the American Lung Association, the closer to the highway the higher the number of asthma attacks. This is because “traffic pollution causes asthma attacks in children, weakens lung function, and early death from cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular morbidity”. Thus, people with asthma are advised to live at least 2000 feet away from the highway.
Second, the number of pets does not affect the number of asthma attacks in Midwood City. According to asthma, people with asthma can be allergic to animals, however, some people can keep their pets while others cannot. It totally depends on the pet owners whether they have allergies to animals. “Allergies such as allergies to dander, saliva, urine and birds feather dust. If people with asthma and allergies interact with animals, it will cause itchy or watery eyes, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, itchy skin, and breathing problems”.
Third, the average hour of exercise affects the number of asthma attacks. According to very well health, “the more people exercise the higher the chance of triggering asthma and sometimes make the symptoms worse”. Any person with asthma exercises without concerning their asthma symptoms could lead to requirements of medical treatment quickly. People who want to exercise should take it slow at first until they have gotten used to it. If they are feeling unwell or have difficulties in breathing, they should immediately stop and seek albuterol inhalers quickly.
Fourth, the age of people with asthma hardly affects the number of asthma attacks. As asthma symptoms can appear at any time in life, despite any age. According to the Winston-Salem Journal that “more than two million Americans aged 65 and older have asthma”. Most young people experienced asthma symptoms, but as we discussed asthma can develop for anyone at any age. However, asthma creates a much greater risk for older people, because “old people are most likely to develop respiratory failure as a result of asthma. Plus, older patients with non-severe asthma symptoms can have the same breathing difficulty as children with severe asthma symptoms”. Thus, according to the patient data from Midwood hospital records, older people (20 years old and above) are more health-conscious compared to young people (20 years old and below). As a result, older people experienced fewer asthma attacks compared to youngsters.
Fifth, the amount of second smoke consumes affects the number of asthma attacks. According to WebMD, “the more smokers in the household the higher asthma attacks encounters. Smoking can trigger asthma symptoms and asthma attacks as it damages the small hair-like cells in the airways called cilia”. Even if people with asthma do not smoke, breathing the cigarette smoke from others is just as bad as smoking. It can make asthma worse over time and cause long-term damage to the lungs.
“‘There are few restrictions on your life with asthma, as long as you take care of yourself,’ said Jackie Joyner-Kersee”
Equally important, according to MayoClinic, other common asthma attack triggers include “upper respiratory infections such as cold, flu or any other infection that could cause swelling and narrowing of airways. Second, people with asthma can be allergic to pollen, mold and dust. Third, inhaling cold and dry air will cause the airways to become irritated and swollen, which worsens asthma symptoms. Fourth, Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a long-term chronic digestive disorder. It happens when stomach contents flow back up into the esophagus. Lastly, stress can worsen asthma symptoms. A person who is stressed from school, work, relationships, or family may experience certain emotional problems. Such as anger and irritation, these strong emotions can trigger asthma symptoms”. For most people, asthma symptoms get worse due to infections. While some people have asthma worsens caused by something in their environment. There are also sometimes, where there is no apparent cause for an asthma attack.
A statistical representation of asthma attack cases in Midwood City:
To sum up, the citizens of Midwood City should be more concerned about asthma disease. Since there is no cure, there are steps people should keep in mind to prevent an asthma attack and to keep their asthma in control. With that said, if any citizen of Midwood City has asthma, they need to do what they can to cut their exposure to asthma triggers. First, people should identify their asthma triggers, such as traffic pollution, allergies, cold air, flu, smoke, exercise and stress. It is extremely important to learn and identify asthma triggers and take steps recommended by an asthma specialist to avoid asthma attacks. If anybody insists on exercising no matter what, suggest they to wear a mask during cold days and follow the advice from a doctor or use an albuterol inhaler in case of breathing problems.
Each person has their own asthma triggers, however, the most common asthma triggers are avoiding smoke of any type and preventing colds. Smoke and asthma are not meant to be together, people with asthma should limit their exposure to all sources of smoke, such as cigarettes, candles, fire, and fireworks. Moreover, prevent smoke from entering households and vehicles. If people with asthma are smoking, they should quit and understand that smoking only makes their asthma worse every day. Next, people with asthma should do what they can to prevent colds, and avoid contact with people who have a cold or flu. People with asthma who caught a cold or flu would make their asthma symptoms worse, therefore people should wash their hands frequently or wear a mask to prevent any infections.