Asthma:
Asthma is one of the most common long-term diseases of children, but adults can have asthma, too. Asthma causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing at night or early in the morning. Having asthma is a chronic disease, but people with asthma only have asthma attacks when something bothers their lungs. A way to control asthma is taking medicine. Everyone with asthma does not take the same medicine. Some people with asthma can breathe in some medicines and take other medicines as a pill. Asthma medicines come in two types: quick-relief and long-term control. Quick-relief medicines control the symptoms of an asthma attack. Long-term control medicines allow for fewer and milder attacks, but they don’t help people while they are having an asthma attack. Asthma medicines can have side effects, but most side effects are mild and soon go away. Unfortunately, not all people with asthma have access to doctors or medicine and the number of people with asthma will only increase if something isn’t done shortly.
Where Asthma Occurs:
“It was estimated that more than 339 million people suffer from asthma. Asthma is the most common non-communicable disease among children” (World Health Organization, “Asthma”). “According to one CDC-based survey, the number of children under 17 years of age with asthma increased from almost 40 to 60 per 1000 from 1980 to 1993” (Dosanjh, “Childhood Asthma and Anthropogenic CO(2) Emissions”). “On the other hand, most deaths occur in older adults. Asthma is a public health problem not just for high-income countries; it occurs in all countries regardless of the level of development. Most asthma related deaths occur in low- and lower-middle-income countries. Asthma is under-diagnosed and under-treated. It creates a substantial burden to individuals and families and often restricts individuals’ activities for a lifetime” (World Health Organization, “Asthma”). When it comes to asthma, scientists have pieced together a few things. For one, there is plenty of evidence that air pollution makes the illness worse. “North Texas families are particularly vulnerable. Dallas County leads the region for hospitalizations for childhood asthma, according to Children’s Medical Center in Dallas” (Chiquillo, Julieta. “Dallas Schools Have Higher Asthma Rates than the Rest of U.S., and the Poorer the School, the Worse It Gets”).