From cold air to cats – asthma can be triggered for all sorts of reasons

LAST week’s column looked at whether a new asthma drug could really prove to be a miraculous cure for this common condition.

The jury is still out for the time being — but here’s hoping.

More than five million Britons currently receive treatment for asthma. We’re not sure what causes the inflammation of the airways, although it tends to run in families.

In asthma, the small bronchioles – air sacs in your lungs – become inflamed, which irritates the muscles in the airway wall.

This narrows the airways, leading to wheezing, shortness of breath, cough and chest tightness.

Sometimes there aren’t any symptoms, and breathing may be completely normal in between episodes.

Different things can set asthma symptoms off for different people.

Some people find exercise and cold air trigger them, others are set off by smoking. House dust mites or cats make it worse for some, while others suffer throughout the pollen season or when they have a cold.

Because symptoms vary, it’s not always easy to make a diagnosis.

Two measuring devices – the spirometer and the peak flow meter – measure how quickly you can blow air out from your lungs.

Most folk with asthma have inhalers and their type and use depends on severity.

Generally, those with the mildest asthma only need a reliever inhaler – which is used when symptoms appear.

Those with more regular symptoms are given a preventer inhaler as well.

A quick word of advice – anyone with asthma who finds themselves with sudden breathing problems not eased by their reliever inhaler should speak to a doctor quick-smart.