Name: 【TED-Ed】How does asthma work? - Christopher E. Gaw
Uploaded: 2017-05-12T03:25:48.000Z
Duration: 5 min 10 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Your breathing speeds up and gets shallower,

These are common symptoms of an asthma attack.

Around the world, more than 300 million people suffer from asthma,

and around 250,000 people  die from it each year.

But why do people get asthma and how can this disease be deadly?

These airways have an inner lining called the mucosa

that's surrounded  by a layer of smooth muscle.

In people with asthma, the airways are chronically inflamed,

which can make them hyper-responsive to certain triggers.

Some of the many asthma triggers include tobacco smoke,

When people with asthma are exposed to these triggers,

an asthma attack, or exacerbation, can occur.

But how exactly do such everyday factors lead to an asthma attack?

the smooth rings of muscle that circle the small airways in their lungs

Simultaneously, the trigger worsens inflammation,

causing the mucosal lining to become more swollen

the body uses this mucus to trap and clear particles, like pollen or dust,

it blocks the narrowed airways, making it even harder to breathe.

These effects lead  to this symptoms of asthma.

Smooth muscle constriction results in the feeling of chest tightness.

Excess mucus and increased inflammation can cause coughing.

That happens because  as the airways constrict,

air whistles as it passes through the narrowed space.

These symptoms may make a person feel like they're running out of air.

Yet counterintuitively,  during an asthma attack,

the inflammation can make it harder to exhale than inhale.

Over time, this leads to an excess of air in the lungs,

The trapping of air inside the lungs forces the body to work harder

Over time, this can lead to reduced oxygen delivery to the body's organs and tissues.

Sometimes, in untreated  severe asthma attacks,

which can lead to death from lack of oxygen.

So how do we prevent these uncomfortable and potentially fatal attacks

One way is to reduce the presence of triggers.

Unfortunately, the world  is an unpredictable place

and exposure to triggers can't always be controlled.

This is where inhalers, the primary treatment for asthma, come in.

These medications help asthmatics both control and prevent their asthma symptoms.

Inhalers transport medication along the affected airways

using a liquid mist or fine powder to treat the problem at its source.

which treat symptoms immediately and contain beta-agonists.

allowing the airways to widen so more air can travel into and out of the lungs.

The other form of inhalers serve as preventive medications,

which treat asthma symptoms over the long term,

Corticosteroids reduce airway sensitivity and inflammation,

They're also crucial in preventing long-term damage

and have helped many people live better lives.

Although we've come a long way in improving how we treat

We currently believe that a combination of genetic and environmental factors

potentially acting during early childhood.

Recent research has even linked poverty to asthma incidents.

from exposure to additional pollutants and environmental irritants

to difficulties in obtaining medical care or treatment.

we can continue to find better ways to keep people's airways happy and healthy.

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【TED-Ed】How does asthma work? - Christopher E. Gaw

crucial

chronic

phenomenon

trigger