In the past asthma was variously defined as an allergic, emotional, and infectious disease. However, today it has become clear that it is primarily a lung disease. Specific triggering events have relative degrees of importance from patient to patient. Epidemiological studies support the concept that asthma is a genetically inherited disease. Asthma is also defined by the uniform increased responsiveness to challenges such as exercise and other stimuli. This idea of a challenge is often used to define and diagnose asthma. A common characteristic of asthma is wheezing, but all asthma patients do not wheeze. Some patients with asthma may present coughing as their only symptom. Now we will focus on what makes asthma worse.

Patients should be aware of what can make their asthma worse. The inability to maintain a treatment regimen can lead to worse asthma, possibly even hospitalization with life threatening asthma attacks. Those who suffer from allergic asthma should avoid overexposure to allergens especially during pollen season. Vigorous exercise can also worsen asthma. Nocturnal asthma is the occurrence of asthma at night. Nocturnal worsening may be caused by allergies and improper enviromental control, gastroesophageal reflux, and sinusitis. Emergency visits for acute severe asthma represents the failure of an adequate therapeutic regimen for chronic asthma. Patients must follow their treatments to avoid these types of emergencies.

Other factors that make asthma worse are fuzzy blankets and bed-spreads, upholstered furniture, cotton throw rugs, and feather or hair stuffed pillows. The family pet can also worsen asthma. All warm- blooded pets can cause serious allergic and asthmatic reactions. But now we will focus on exercise induced asthma.

A proper treatment regimen is necessary for asthma management. Short lapses in compliance with a treatment regimen can lead to the patient being hospitalized with life threatening asthma attacks. There are several ways to manage asthma. Whichever method the patient uses depends on what type of asthma they have. For exercise induced asthma, a patient must maintain normal activity levels and maintain near normal pulmonary functions. For any asthma patient, chronic and troublesome symptoms such as heavy coughing, breathlessness at night, in early morning, or after exertion should be avoided. The best way to alleviate asthma symptoms is to choose to remain on an asthma self-management program. In such a program, it is necessary to improve self- management skills and to utilize all available health care services. Also, patients must learn how to recognize personal triggers to asthmatic reactions. Again, once the triggers are known, they can be avoided by the patients.

The best place to avoid asthmatic triggers is at home. A patient needs to keep the entire house as clean and dust free as possible. Molds also need to be controlled by increasing ventilation in areas of increased humidity. The home is an optimal place to avoid allergens that trigger asthma.

As with any asthma patient, asthma patients need to know what medications they take, what the medications are for, and how to use them. Patients must adhere to medication regimens as well as their other regimens.

To properly treat asthma it is important to maintain as normal of a life as possible. It is possible to continue with normal exercise activities. Even with exercise induced asthma it is possible to experience symptom free exercise. Actually 80% of people with asthma cope with exercise induced asthma. Eleven percent of the 1984 US Olympic team had asthma, and 41% of these athletes won medals. In 1988, 53 athletes competed with asthma.

Exercise induced asthma attacks can be prevented by pretreatments, staying in good physical condition, avoiding harsh weather conditions, warming up and down properly, and following the doctor's specific treatment advice. In 80% of the cases studied, Exercise induced asthma could be prevented by the use of inhaled bronchodilators used prior to exercise. In conclusion, asthma is a serious condition, but it is possible to live with asthma and not have it interfere. With proper treatment it is possible to control the symptoms, prevent asthma exacerbation's, maintain a desirable level of activity, and experience near normal lung function.