Asthma affects more than 300 million individuals worldwide, with over 250,000 people dying each year.

Asthma wreaks havoc on the respiratory system, especially the smaller airways like the bronchi and bronchioles. The airways in patients with asthma are persistently irritated, making them hypersensitive to triggers such as tobacco smoke, pollen, dust, odors, exercise, cold weather, stress, and even the common cold.

When an asthmatic is exposed to a trigger, the smooth muscle rings that circle the tiny airways in the lungs contract and narrow. At the same time, the trigger exacerbates inflammation, causing the mucosal lining to swell and secrete more mucus. The body uses mucus to capture and eliminate particles like pollen and dust under normal circumstances, but during an asthma attack, it plugs the restricted airways, making breathing even more difficult.

As a result of these side effects, asthma symptoms appear. The feeling of chest tightness is caused by smooth muscle contraction. Coughing can be caused by excess mucous and irritation. The wheezing sound is caused by air as it whistles through the narrower space when the airways contract. These symptoms might make a person feel as if they are out of breath.

Surprisingly, during an asthma episode, the inflammation might make it more difficult to exhale than it is to inhale. This results in an excess of air in the lungs over time, a condition known as hyperinflation. The body has to work harder to move air in and out of the lungs because of the trapped air. This can result in decreased oxygen delivery to the body’s organs and tissues over time. When severe asthma attacks go untreated, the body cannot keep up, which can lead to death from a lack of oxygen.

Reducing the presence of triggers is one method to prevent these inconvenient and potentially fatal attacks in people with asthma. Unfortunately, the world is an unpredictable place, and exposure to triggers cannot always be avoided.

This is where inhalers, the most common asthma medication, come into play. Asthmatics can use these drugs to both control and prevent their asthma symptoms. Inhalers use a liquid mist or tiny powder to deliver medication down the afflicted airways, treating the problem at its source. There are two types of them.

There are pain relievers that contain beta-agonists and treat symptoms right away. Beta-agonists relax restricted muscles in the airways, allowing more air to enter and leave the lungs.

The other type of inhaler contains corticosteroids and is used as a preventive treatment to treat asthma symptoms over time. Asthma can be controlled with corticosteroids because they diminish airway sensitivity and inflammation. They are also important in preventing long-term harm from chronic inflammation, which can lead to airway scarring.

Inhalers are well-known for their effectiveness, and they have aided many individuals in living better lives.

We have come a long way in terms of treating and diagnosing asthma, but we still do not know what causes it. We suspect that a mix of genetic and environmental variables, possibly operating throughout early life, play a role.