Asthma is primarily an inflammation of the airways and should be overseen by a Pediatric Allergist in Birmingham, AL. The airways consist of the trachea and the bronchi. If the airways are inflamed, it can lead to an asthmatic reaction.
Understanding bronchial inflammation
When it comes to bronchial inflammation, the skin of the bronchi (it is also called mucus because it produces mucus) is red and sore. It is especially painful if it is irritated. The respiratory tracts know nothing else to help with inflammation than to produce very “gelatinous” mucus. Most people may mistake these issues with a normal cold.
In an asthmatic, the mucous membrane is chronically sore. Therefore, it reacts to the smallest and most insignificant stimuli. The doctor calls this “bronchial hyper-reactivity,” meaning a hypersensitivity of the bronchi. This means that an asthma sufferer cannot cough up the mucus very well during an asthma attack.
In addition, the airways become very narrow. Where previously there was a large passageway to breathe from, it has now become as tight as a straw. Sufferers cannot move enough air, especially when exhaling, so they may hear a “whistling” noise. The narrowing of the airways is caused by a cramping of the chest muscles, which loops around the bronchi. These frequently swell, making breathing during an attack that much harder.
Why do people have asthma or hay fever allergies?
Most doctors cannot always answer this question. Many factors play a role in the development of hay fever or asthma. For instance, gender could be a deciding factor. Whether a person gets a hay fever or asthma depends, among other things, on whether there is a family history of such issues (mother, father, siblings, grandparents, uncles and aunts).
Most children and adolescents have an allergic reaction to everyday stimuli. The body is hypersensitive to certain substances such as pollen, dust mites, mold spores, food (milk, chicken eggs, nuts, and so on) and pet hair (horse, cat, mice, guinea pigs, etc.). Sufferers may not know exactly how the process works, but certain white blood cells (eosinophilic leukocytes, T-cells, mast cells) and antibodies (type E immunoglobulins) seem to play a major role.
If you want to know more about allergies, it would be smart to ask a Pediatric Allergist in Birmingham, AL.
