I.INTRODUCTION
Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs which affects the pathways where the air travels through the lungs. Asthmatic refers to the people who suffer from this condition whether it may be recurrent or long-lasting. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath and coughing. The coughing occurs at night and early in the morning.
Asthma came from the Greek verb "aazein" which means "panting and exhaling with the open mouth." The expression, asthma, first appeared in The Iliad, a Greek epic poem.
To understand asthma, we need to know how the airways work. The tubes that deliver air toward and away the lungs are called airways. The walls inside of an asthmatic's airways are inflamed or
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RISK FACTORS
GENETICS
Genetics carries a significant role in the development of asthma and allergy. Studies show that there are 18 genomic regions and more than 100 genes associated with asthma in 11 different populations.
PRENATAL RISK FACTORS
Prenatal tobacco smoke
Prenatal maternal smoking is associated with early childhood wheezing. It also increases risks of food allergy, cytokine responses in the cord blood and concentrations of nitric oxide in exhaled air in new-born babies.Studies have shown that the prenatal effect of smoking will increase when combined with postnatal smoke exposure.
Diet and nutrition
Observational studies examined that intake of foods with anti-inflammatory properties and antioxidants during pregnancy results in the development of atopic disease. Stress
Through the use of animal models, it was suggested that prenatal maternal stress regulates the offspring's hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to decrease cortisol levels which affects the development of an allergic phenotype.
Antibiotic use
Any antibiotic use during pregnancy shows a higher risk of persistent wheeze and asthma in early childhood. This case was proven through examining the association between prenatal antibiotic treatment and subsequent development of atopic