What triggers an Asthma attack?
Our expert Dr Martin Bell discusses living a normal life with Asthma.
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Transcript
Presenter - So that's why stress could trigger a bout or an attack.
Martin - Stress can sometimes trigger it that's exactly right. But equally apparently your adrenaline levels get a bit low towards the end of the day and for some strange reason that allows that asthma tendency to become more common at those times of the day. That's the theory anyway. So we tend to sort of look for those patterns. Equally in it's more severe forms you know yes you do get that breathlessness, the gasping, you know the wheezing, and as you said in your introduction is such a variable thing.
Presenter - Yeah so actually putting your finger on that fact that you've got asthma can be quite difficult sometimes do you think?
Martin - Can be sometimes, can be very obvious occasion you know Granny can spot it and say "Oh yeah you've definitely got asthma."
Presenter - Yeah particularly if it's in the family I guess then you know.
Martin - If it's in the family she's probably seen it before and you're getting that classic wheezing and breathlessness and so on. But equally it can be sometimes a bit tricky and sometimes in the surgery we might think 'mmm. I wonder if this person's got asthma?' And may then have to so some further tests or even sometimes we would try out treatment for asthma to see if it would work.
Presenter - Right to sort of rule it out.
Martin - Absolutely right you know so it's not always the easiest thing to diagnose.
Presenter - Mh-hm. Now is asthma actually increasing 'cos a lot of children these days seem to be getting it?
Martin - Yeah no it's definitely on the increase.
Presenter - And why is that?
Martin - I don't think anyone really knows I mean most people at this point their thoughts turn towards pollution.
Presenter - Yeah well we've got a question in on that actually.
Martin - Right.
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