Do You Suffer From Adult Onset Asthma?

If you discover that you have asthma after your twenty-first birthday, you have adult onset asthma. Almost half of all asthma cases are diagnosed before the age of ten years. Another 30% are discovered before the age of forty, and the rest occur in later life. There is a slight increase in womens' diagnosis after menopause. Whatever age you are when you find you have asthma, this diagnosis will change your life.

Asthma is a condition that causes the airways of your lungs to narrow, restricting the airflow and leaving you short of breath. This can happen because of inflammation from an allergen, an inhaled irritant or because of a spasm of the muscles around the bronchi- the small airways in the lungs.

The most well known symptom of asthma is a sudden onset of wheezing and difficulty getting your breath. These attacks can be very severe, causing hospitalization, or mild and well controlled by medications.

Once the initial diagnosis of adult onset asthma is made, the next step is to discover what type of asthma you have. Allergic asthma is caused by sensitivity to specific substances in your environment. Eliminating these substances is the first step to controlling your asthma.

Idiopathic asthma has no specific cause, but factors such as stress, cold weather and strenuous work or exercise could be factors that influence the frequency of attacks.

You could also discover that you have a combination of both types.

You can keep an ongoing list of things that trigger your attacks. Also, keep a diary of your symptoms and medications to assist your health care professional to develop an effective asthma management plan for you.

Good nutrition plays an important role in the management of adult onset asthma symptoms. A good multivitamin and mineral supplement, in addition to eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables will help your body resist asthma attacks. Researchers have found that low levels of Vitamin C and zinc can cause increased bronchial spasms and wheezing.

Working with your health care professional to develop an asthma management program, and giving extra attention to nutrition will help you keep the symptoms of adult onset asthma under control.