What People With Asthma Can Do to Keep It Under Control

07 September 2010

Pakistani doctor Akhlaq Bukhari, right, helps a patient to use a lung function testing device

VOICE ONE:

This is SCIENCE IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English. I'm Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Bob Doughty. We recently told you about health problems linked to extreme heat. This week, we talk about the lung disease asthma. For people with asthma, extreme heat can be especially troublesome, as can extreme cold.

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VOICE ONE:

Asthma is a serious disorder that makes breathing difficult. The World Health Organization says asthma affects about three hundred million people worldwide. An estimated two hundred fifty thousand people die from the disease every year. And more than five hundred thousand others are treated in hospitals.

Asthma happens when tissue that lines the airways to the lungs begins to expand or swell. This swelling makes the airways smaller. The muscles in the airways tighten.

Cells in the airways begin to produce a lot of mucous. This thick, sticky substance causes the airways to close even more.

This makes it difficult for air to flow in and out of the lungs.

VOICE TWO:

This series of events is called an asthma attack. As asthma sufferers struggle to get air into their lungs, they may begin to cough a lot. They may also make a whistling or breathy sound called wheezing.