What separates asthma from these other conditions is that asthma is usually atopic, which is to say that it arises from a genetic predisposition to allergic reactions. Exploring your family history of allergies and asthma will help you identify your condition. While asthma is a manageable condition in adulthood, its adult-onset variant is often more severe than when it manifests itself in childhood, which means you need to be particularly vigilant about preventing further attacks.
Lifestyle changes involving smoking cessation and weight loss can be an essential first step in limiting risk. To the extent that limiting exposure to environmental and chemical allergens is possible, your doctor will likely advise you to do that as well. Still, bronchodilators and corticosteroids may be necessary to stop and prevent attacks. Posted in: Asthma.
Book Online. Posted on: Mar 16 By: Ariana Salazar In the second half of our two-part look at adult-onset conditions comes an unfortunate realization: when it comes to developing a chronic condition, we are never truly out of the woods. Causes of Adult-Onset Asthma Generally, people who find they need to deploy their trusty inhalers learn this in childhood.
We hope that the material helps you better understand what adult onset asthma is and how you can best manage it. Please keep in mind that this information is not meant to take the place of medical advice from your own physician.
When year-old Dorothy had the flu, it took her weeks to get over it. Afterwards, she still felt winded just doing her everyday routine. Sometimes she had tightness in her chest that made her wonder if she was starting to have heart problems. At night, she noticed it was easier to breathe propped up a little bit.
Finally, she talked with her physician about her symptoms. An in-office breathing test helped determine that Dorothy had asthma and her heart was just fine. Asthma symptoms can appear at any time in life. People can develop asthma at age 50, 60, or even later. Adults who develop asthma are said to have adult onset asthma. Unlike children who often experience intermittent asthma symptoms in response to allergy triggers or respiratory infections, adults with newly diagnosed asthma generally have persistent symptoms.
Daily medications may be required to keep asthma under control. Asthma is a disease of increased responsiveness of the airways to various stimuli including allergens and irritants that cause obstructions of the airways.
Constriction of muscles around the airway and inflammation result in swelling of the lining and increased secretion of mucous. This causes difficulty in breathing and coughing. The most common causes of an asthma flare up are infection, exercise, allergens, and air pollution an irritant. People who have asthma may experience wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness.
Asthma can begin at any age but with proper management and education, people with asthma can lead normal, active lives. Several factors may make a person more likely to develop adult onset asthma. Women are more likely to develop asthma after age Obesity appears to significantly increase the risk of developing asthma as an adult. Individuals who had asthma as a child may see asthma recur later in life. People who are allergic to cats may have an increased risk for developing adult onset asthma.
Hormonal fluctuations in women may play a role in adult onset asthma. Some women first develop asthma symptoms during or after a pregnancy. Women going through menopause can develop asthma symptoms for the first time. Different illnesses, viruses, or infections can be a factor in adult onset asthma.
A bad cold or a bout with the flu is often a factor in adult onset asthma. Smoking does not cause adult onset asthma; however, if you smoke or if you are exposed to cigarette smoke second-hand smoke , it may provoke asthma symptoms.
Asthma is usually diagnosed in childhood. In many patients; however, the symptoms will disappear or are significantly reduced after puberty. After age 20, symptoms may begin to reappear. Researchers have tracked this tendency for reappearing asthma and found that people with childhood asthma tend to experience reappearing symptoms through their 30s and 40s at various levels of severity.
To diagnose asthma, your physician will question you about your symptoms, perform a physical exam, and conduct lung function breathing tests. You also may be tested for allergies. Inhaled and oral asthma medications, which open the airways and soothe inflammation, are used to treat acute symptoms and prevent flare-ups. A: Yes. The death rate for adult-onset asthma is substantially higher than the death rate for childhood asthma. One reason may be that adults either ignore asthma symptoms or attribute them to being overweight, being out of shape or getting older.
A: Most childhood asthma disappears in adulthood. But having childhood asthma increases your risk of a relapse in your 30s or 40s. Other factors that increase the risk of adult-onset asthma include:.
For these reasons, adults with asthma are at increased risk for flare-ups and even hospitalization. Here are some additional tips:. Taliercio says.
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