Watch CBS News

Asthma Awareness Month Facts

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – It is baffling to consider that a lifelong chronic disease that affects 22.6 million Americans still needs the entire month of May to proclaim, "Hey, don't forget about me, I'm the reason you are having trouble breathing!" You would think that in this age of instant messaging, viral videos, flash mobs, and phenomenally successful online awareness campaigns like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, that every single person on the planet would have already been exposed to the facts about asthma. But sadly, such is not the case.

What Is Asthma?

Asthma is a disease that cannot be cured. It is an inflammation inside the lungs that can be quickly and dynamically exasperated by a seemingly infinite variety of factors. Passageways narrow making it extremely difficult to move air out of the lungs. Typical symptoms include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, and/or a shortness of breath. However, asthma might also reveal itself in far more subtle ways such as running out of breath before finishing a sentence or a hurried speaking cadence that an individual has developed over the years to compensate for a pair of faulty lungs.

Why The Disease Might Not Be Taken Seriously Enough

Possibly, it's denial. It's embarrassing not to be able to do something as simple as running or laughing. So, maybe an individual adjusts his or her lifestyle to avoid certain situations instead of learning how to truly manage the disease?

Then again, possibly it's believing that asthma comes and goes like it is routinely portrayed in film and television where it appears as a dramatic moment rather than a "real" disease. How many movies have that sudden life-or-death scenario where an attack comes on out of nowhere and can be miraculously cured simply by puffing on an inhaler or gaining self-confidence?

Or worse, perhaps it is not yet truly acknowledged as a standalone disease by the entire medical community. Maybe subconsciously, asthma is still greatly regarded by some physicians as just a lingering condition of something that was more "serious" like the aftermath of bronchitis?

Startling Statistics

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, asthma is "one of this country's most common and costly diseases." It is the "leading reason for missed school days," and it accounts for over 2 million emergency room visits and 14 million doctor visits each year. Furthermore, an average of 9 Americans die every day from asthma.

Conclusion

Until the truth about this chronic disease is accepted by both the general public and the medical community as a whole, Asthma Awareness Month is desperately needed. Asthma is not a psychosomatic affliction or something that occurs just once during a moment of great stress and then disappears, it is a chronic disease that has no cure. However, with proper guidance and treatment, it can be effectively managed to allow individuals a normal lifestyle free from the restraints of the disease.

Allen Foster, a lifelong Greater Philadelphia resident, has been writing about all those wonderful things that make us feel so alive for over 20 years. He approaches each day as an adventure, eager to discover what new and vibrant surprises await just around life's corner. You can see his work on Examiner.com.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.