Understanding Adult-Onset Asthma: Causes, Symptoms, and Management
Adult-onset asthma is a condition that can develop after age 20, often triggered by allergens, hormonal changes, or environmental factors. Symptoms include wheezing, cough, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. Management focuses on early diagnosis, medication, and lifestyle adjustments to control symptoms and prevent lung damage. Awareness and preventive measures are vital for adults to maintain respiratory health and avoid severe attacks.
With rising cases of asthma developing in adults, it’s crucial to understand the condition, its causes, preventive measures, and treatment options.
While asthma is commonly diagnosed in children, some adults over 20 years may also develop this respiratory condition, known as adult-onset asthma. Symptoms can appear at any age, not just early on.
Asthma involves sensitive airways overreacting to triggers like allergens and irritants, leading to airflow obstruction.
The muscles surrounding the airways tighten, narrowing the passages. Inflammation causes the airway lining to swell and produce excess mucus, resulting in symptoms such as coughing, chest tightness, breathlessness, and wheezing.
Based on severity, adult-onset asthma is classified as:
Mild intermittent asthma
Mild persistent asthma
Moderate persistent asthma
Severe persistent asthma
With age, lung capacity decreases due to stiffening chest walls and muscle changes, making airflow reduced. This often leads to underdiagnosis in adults. Diagnosis involves medical history review, symptom assessment, and lung function tests using a spirometer.
Common triggers include weather changes (cold/dry air), intense physical activity, hormonal fluctuations, dust, pet dander, and exposure to irritants.
Symptoms include:
Wheezing, persistent cough (especially at night/morning), chest tightness, and increased mucus production. These appear due to airway obstruction caused by allergens or irritants.
Causes of adult-onset asthma:
Allergies play a significant role, particularly pet allergies, especially to cats, accounting for nearly 30% of cases. Women are also more susceptible due to hormonal changes during pregnancy or menopause. Sometimes, infections like persistent cold or flu can trigger the condition as well.
Prevention strategies:
Maintaining cleanliness, avoiding dust exposure, managing stress, steering clear of smoke-filled areas, and reducing contact with pets if allergic are key preventive measures. Staying vigilant about environmental factors helps prevent severe episodes.
Management and treatment:
While a cure remains elusive, asthma can be controlled through proper management. Early diagnosis prevents lung damage. Treatment typically includes prescribed medications such as anti-inflammatory drugs and bronchodilators, medical monitoring, a balanced diet, and allergen avoidance. Adult-onset asthma requires ongoing attention to prevent complications and maintain quality of life.
