Cooper 1

Kylie Cooper
Professor Hughes
ENG 1201
23 March 2020
Literature Review
Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that results in sporadic breathing difficulties.

Being of a roadblock for people all acrossed the globe many people have asked this question.

How does asthma affect the quality of my life? It has hindered athletes from playing sports,

lowered academic achievements in youths, and overall shortened the lifespan of many people. As

the world has evolved, so have asthma triggers and pollutants. With the fear of anything

triggering asthma, this has resulted in people with asthma missing out on some great life

experiences. According to World Health Organizations (2019) around 235 million people are

suffering from chronic to severe asthma around the world. These shocking numbers show that

nearly 1/8 of the world suffers from asthma on a daily. With that data many people wonder how

can medications help to alleviate asthma symptoms? How can eliminating the triggers improve

life for patients? And, how do you efficiently manage asthma while living a daily life?

Asthma triggers can be a great affect in dealing with it. There are tons of triggers that can

set off an asthma attack. Indoor allergens, outdoor allergens, dust, pets, air pollutants, weather

changes, sicknesses, foods, and tobacco smoke to name a few. Tobacco smoke is one of the most

widely diverse one. As many corporations and companies try to sell that it is not that “bad for

you” it harms more than you would think. Cleveland Clinic (2017) states “Tobacco smoke is

toxic to the lungs. People with asthma who smoke or are exposed to secondhand smoke have a

higher risk for asthma attacks because their airways are overly sensitive. Secondhand smoke is

more harmful to nonsmokers because their bodies are not as used to smoke exposure, as smoker's

bodies are.” This helps to show how bad the smoke if for asthmatic people. Their lungs already
 Cooper 2

have trouble trying to oxygen, and help to breathe adding a harmful smoke can be deadly and

sometimes fatal. While according to NCBI (2015) “It can be argued that nicotine, one of the

thousands of compounds in tobacco smoke, can have positive effects on some cognitive

functions and may even confer some neuroprotection.” These two sources differ from each other,

showing the “two different” sides of one of the triggers for asthma. Believed to be a benefit from

nicotine, it is still a form of smoke that can harm and kill patients with asthma. There is no sure

way to tell if the nicotine smoke is doing more harm than good without more clinical test, and

research.

As asthma affects your breathing and airways many people believe that you cannot

exercise, or workout with this condition. This is a widely known misconception throughout that

world that has forced many people to quit the sport that they are playing. According to

pulmonology advisor (2019) “Researchers found that patients who engaged in optimal levels of

recommended physical activity were better able to control their asthma than patients who were

inactive.” Although pulmonology advisor is a great source when conducting small research, this

source is not reliable to base a paper off. It does not have that much scholar information. I will

use this source in my paper to talk about many of the common misconceptions people believe in

the world of asthma. Author, Tom Greenhalgh, does a great job talking about 5 common

misconception, while combating them with information of his own. Many people have learned

with exercising you learn more about your body, and how it reacts to different levels of physical

exercise. This can help to ultimately help to save lives from those that suffer and die from

exercise induced asthma.

As billions of people suffer from asthma acrossed the world, symptoms vary among the

different age groups, and gender. Some people think with the growing and changing of your

lungs that you can outgrow it BMJ (2019) Journals states “Some people think children outgrow
 Cooper 3

asthma because they have fewer symptoms or attacks as they get older...” As some cases of

children with asthma can be fatal, most are not. Approximately 80% of asthma deaths occur in

second world countries. Kids don’t know how to control it, or even if they are diagnosed.

Washington State (2013) “Many studies have suggested that asthma sufferers can be prone to

depression, perhaps because of the isolation that can result from their uncontrolled symptoms.”

This can lead to the decreased academic achievements, which can in the long run hurt the kid's

future if gone on long enough. As for adults depending on the severity of the asthma there can be

fewer symptoms. Adults also know how to better control asthma, and are able to talk to doctors. I

would like to conduct some more research on the differentiation between asthma in gender to see

how widely different it affects the population.

Through conducting research, I have found some answers to the questions asked. Asthma

is manageable for athletes and others wanting to stay fit and exercise. Some of the best athletes

out there suffer from asthma. Asthma is managed with different breathing techniques and

medications that can help to open up your bronchial tubes. One of the most common used

medication for asthma is a rescue inhaler. Healthgrades states that many people are over using

their rescue inhalers, when they should be looking for a different treatment or medication to take

with their doctors. With the advancements in technology, science, and medications it would be

useful to dig a little deeper and learn more about how different types of medications can affect

the symptoms, and which medications to take when. Many people have learned to just deal with

their asthma symptoms, which is not ok. People should be getting the treatment that they need.

Researching more about how it affects people will help me be more knowledgeable about how to

control my own asthma.

 Cooper 4

Works Cited
 Cooper 5

Bacon, Simon L, et al. “Association between Patterns of Leisure Time Physical Activity and

Asthma Control in Adult Patients.” BMJ Open Respiratory Research, Archives of Disease

in Childhood, 1 July 2015, bmjopenrespres.bmj.com/content/2/1/e000083.full.

Dunne, Michele, and Mary Hughes. “How Does Asthma Affect the Day-to-Day Life of

Sufferers?” European Respiratory Society, European Respiratory Society, 1 Sept. 2015,

erj.ersjournals.com/content/46/suppl_59/PA336.

“Guy Mowbray on Living with Asthma.” Asthma UK, www.asthma.org.uk/advice/your-

stories/bbc-sport-football-guy-mowbray-living-with-asthma/.

Handzel, Sarah, and Bsn. “Severe Asthma Inhaler: Rescue Inhaler.” Severe Asthma Inhaler |

Rescue Inhaler | Healthgrades.com, Healthgrades, 29 Feb. 2020,

www.healthgrades.com/right-care/asthma/are-you-overusing-your-asthma-rescue-inhaler.

Jaakkola, Maritta S. “Association between Regular Exercise and Asthma Control among Adults:

The Population-Based Northern Finnish Asthma Study.” Sinclair College Off-Campus

Authentication Form, 2020,

sinclair.ohionet.org:80/login?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebscohost.com%2Flogin.aspx

%3Fdirect&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.612088906&site=eds-live.

Johnston, Sebastion L. Wiley Online Library . Blackwell Science Ltd, 2002.

NHLBI. “School-Based Approaches to Help Pre-Teens Manage Asthma - Full Text View.”

School-Based Approaches to Help Pre-Teens Manage Asthma - Full Text View -

ClinicalTrials.gov, clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00217776.

“One Breath: A Personal Journey with Asthma.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 2010,

www.imdb.com/title/tt1634825/.
 Cooper 6

“Physical Effects of Asthma.” UI Health: University of Illinois Hospital and Health Sciences

System, UI Health, hospital.uillinois.edu/primary-and-specialty-care/pulmonary/our-areas-

of-expertise/asthma/physical-effects.

Sanders, Lisa. “A Runner Suddenly Developed Asthma. It Was Stranger Than It Seemed.” 2019.

“The Effects of Smoking With Asthma.” Cleveland Clinic,

my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/4584-smoking--asthma.

Yurtoğlu, Nadir. “Assisting Teens with Asthma to Take Command .” History Studies

International Journal of History, vol. 10, no. 7, 2018, pp. 241–264.,

doi:10.9737/hist.2018.658.

Yurtoğlu, Nadir. “Asthma Air Pollution.” History Studies International Journal of History, vol.

10, no. 7, 2018, pp. 241–264., doi:10.9737/hist.2018.658.