Asthma
Questions: Adult Asthma
Question:
I have always thought of asthma as the kind of illness that is
identified in childhood. I'm 34, and I was recently diagnosed with
asthma. Is it possible to suddenly start suffering from asthma so late
in life?
Answer:
Asthma
is predominantly identified in children, who are more susceptible to
the inflammation of the lungs that causes asthma. Almost 90% of cases
are identified before the sufferer reaches the age of 16, as a
combination of children being easily distressed and monitoring by their
parents helps to pinpoint the illness.
It
is, however, completely possible for someone to get in to their 30s or
40s and only then is it discovered that they have asthma. While the
illness can suddenly manifest itself - usually due to a lifelong
exposure to an asthma irritant, such as certain chemicals or allergens
- in most cases, late-diagnosis asthma is not due to a sudden
development of the condition. Usually, if it takes 20 or 30 years to
identify the condition, it is relatively mild and has not presented
much of a noticeable problem for the sufferer until then. This is quite
usual, and simple things like moving in to a more polluted environment
or beginning a new job around chemicals may make a long-hidden asthma
condition become known.
The prognosis of adult-diagnosed asthma is very good, providing you are willing to learn how to use your inhalers properly and how best to manage the condition. Read up as much about the illness as possible to inform yourself, as it is always better to be safe than sorry.