What Are The Different Types Of Asthma?

Asthma can be classified in various ways. The various asthma types can be named on the basis of the type of triggers that cause an attack of asthma. Alternatively they can be named on the basis of the things that can make asthma worse in some individuals. The different types of asthma are described below.

Child-onset asthma: Asthma can well begin in childhood. This is especially so in children in whom the onset has been because of genetic reasons. Such children are prone to become sensitive to commonly found allergens such as dust mites, fungi, and animal proteins. Their bodies' immune defense system treats these allergens as foreign bodies and accordingly destroys them. In the process the cells that line the bronchial airways of such children becomes sensitive to specific foreign triggers.

Repeated exposure to the same type of allergens can lead quickly to an asthmatic response. The range of population in which this condition is present is from 33.33 % to 50 %. A signal of the continuation of asthma can well be garnered from the presence of allergy in the wheezing of a child during a viral infection.

Adult-onset asthma: The development of asthma takes place after the age of 20 years. Women are more affected than men in adult-onset asthma. However, this type of disease is less commonly found than is child-onset asthma. Allergens are also involved in asthma in adults. It can begin at any age and in a wide range of conditions.

Allergies are responsible for the development of asthma in a range of population that varies between 33.33 % and 50 %. Frequently, allergic exposures are not the important causative factors. Rather, intrinsic irritants are responsible for the development of asthma in many individuals. In them nasal polyps or sinusitis can bring about asthma.

Other irritants that may be causes of asthma in some adults include aspirin or other similar drugs. They also include exposure to animal products, wood, plastic, dust, and metals while adults are at work.

Exercise-induced asthma: Wheezing or shortness of breath that occurs as a symptom after a strenuous exercise is an indicator of exercise induced asthma. Approximately, eighty percent people who already have asthma experience this occurrence. Frequently this occurs as a one-time event with no other apparent symptoms of asthma in evidence.

There are chances of a wrong diagnosis being made if this occurs, for heart problems or poor conditioning may also be a cause of such occurrence. In healthy persons, if such an occurrence is there, the first choice of diagnosis is that of exercise-induced asthma. In this type of asthma, breathing through the mouth occurs after about 5 to 20 minutes after the initiation of exercise.

Cough variant asthma: Coughing is the main symptom of this type of asthma. Diagnosis based on this symptom is difficult as this symptom occurs in many other illnesses.

Other asthma types include occupational asthma, nocturnal asthma and steroid resistant or severe asthma. Natural treatments are available for these various types of asthma.

Privacy Policy Contact Us