Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects over 23 million Americans, including 7 million children, according to the American Lung Association. The exact cause of asthma is not clearly understood, but it is a result of many contributing factors including genetics and environmental factors. During an asthma attack, the bronchial tubes into the lungs become inflamed and constrict. This causes the common symptoms of shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing and tightness of the chest. The prevalence and potential severity of this disease results in a number of consequences.
Economic Consequences
With the large number of people in the United States suffering with asthma, the economic impact of this disease is significant. The cost of asthma to the public takes into account the number of deaths, hospitalizations and medical care utilizations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that in 2008 there were 1.2 asthma related deaths per every 100,000 people. Add to that the 10.6 million doctors' visits and 444,000 hospital stays in which asthma was initially diagnosed and the cost of this disease is well into the billions of dollars. Back in 1994 when approximately 15 million Americans were diagnosed with asthma, the direct costs related to asthma were $5.1 billion, as reported by a study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
School Consequences
Asthma is a disease that often begins in childhood. The American Lung Association estimates that nearly 13 million school days are lost each year by children who miss school due to asthma-related illness. Missed school days translate into lost revenue for the school but more importantly into lost learning time for the student. For this reason, it is important for parents, children and school administrators to work together an be educated on the warning signs of asthma attacks to treat the symptoms before they become serious and result in missed days.
Airway Remodeling
Those with asthma experience periodic flare-ups during which the bronchial tubes become inflamed. Over time, this inflammatory response causes the walls of the bronchial tubes to thicken. As the walls thicken the airways become narrower, even during times between flare-ups. Some airways may become so narrow that they are blocked. To compensate for this, the cells and tissues restructure themselves, as described by research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Although new airways are formed to allow for the passage of air, it remains restricted and the damage is permanent.
Respiratory Distress
If an asthma attack is not treated in a timely fashion, it can become serious and even life-threatening. As the bronchial tubes constrict during an asthma episode the patient may not be able to get enough oxygen leading to respiratory distress. The signs of respiratory distress include an increased breathing rate, a bluish color around the mouth, lips and fingernails, grunting noises during exhalation, nostrils flaring, sweating and wheezing.
References
- American Lung Association: Asthma
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Asthma
- American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine: A National Estimate of the Economic Costs of Asthma
- The Journal of Clinical Investigation: Airway Remodeling in Asthma
- The Mayo Clinic: Asthma Complications
