How does asthma work? - Christopher E. Gaw

Translator: Klavdija Cernilogar Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

It starts with a cough,

Začne se s kašljem

or a wheeze.

ali piskanjem.

Soon, your chest feels tight.

Kmalu začutite tiščanje v prsih.

Your breathing speeds up and gets shallower,

Dihanje se pospeši in postane plitvo,

making you feel short of breath.

zato ostanete brez zraka.

These are common symptoms of an asthma attack.

To so tipični znaki astmatičnega napada.

Around the world, more than 300 million people suffer from asthma,

Preko 300 milijonov ljudi po svetu trpi za astmo,

and around 250,000 people die from it each year.

in vsako leto zaradi nje umre okoli 250,000 ljudi.

But why do people get asthma and how can this disease be deadly?

A zakaj sploh dobijo astmo in zakaj je lahko smrtonosna?

Asthma affects the respiratory system,

Astma vpliva na dihalni sistem,

particularly the smaller airways,

posebej na manjše dihalne poti,

such as the bronchi and bronchioles.

kot so bronhiji in bronhioli.

These airways have an inner lining called the mucosa

Te dihalne poti so od znotraj obložene z oblogo sluzi,

that's surrounded by a layer of smooth muscle.

ki jo obkroža sloj gladkih mišic.

In people with asthma, the airways are chronically inflamed,

Pri astmatikih so te dihalne poti kronično vnete,

which can make them hyper-responsive to certain triggers.

zato so lahko preveč odzivne na določene sprožilce.

Some of the many asthma triggers include tobacco smoke,

Taki sprožilci so denimo tobačni dim,

pollen,

cvetni prah,

dust,

prah,

fragrances,

dišave,

exercise,

telesna vadba,

cold weather,

mrzlo vreme,

stress,

stres,

and even the common cold.

celo navadni prehlad.

When people with asthma are exposed to these triggers,

Ko so astmatiki izpostavljeni tem sprožilcem,

an asthma attack, or exacerbation, can occur.

lahko pride do astmatičnega napada ali poslabšanja astme.

But how exactly do such everyday factors lead to an asthma attack?

Ampak kako ti vsakdanji dejavniki pripeljejo do astmatičnega napada?

If an asthmatic is exposed to a trigger,

Če je astmatik izpostavljen sprožilcu,

the smooth rings of muscle that circle the small airways in their lungs

se mišični obroči okoli majhnih dihalnih poti v pljučih

contract and become narrow.

skrčijo in zožijo.

Simultaneously, the trigger worsens inflammation,

Hkrati sprožilec poslabša vnetje,

causing the mucosal lining to become more swollen

sluzna obloga nabrekne

and secrete more mucus.

in izloči več sluzi.

Under normal conditions,

Ponavadi

the body uses this mucus to trap and clear particles, like pollen or dust,

telo s sluzjo lovi in čisti delce, kot sta prah ali cvetni prah,

but during an asthma attack,

a med astmatičnim napadom

it blocks the narrowed airways, making it even harder to breathe.

blokira ozke dihalne poti, zato je še težje dihati.

These effects lead to this symptoms of asthma.

Ti učinki pripeljejo do astmatičnih simptomov.

Smooth muscle constriction results in the feeling of chest tightness.

Krčenje gladkih mišic povzroči občutek tesnobe v prsih.

Excess mucus and increased inflammation can cause coughing.

Pretirana sluz ter povečano vnetje pripeljeta do kašlja.

And the wheezing noise?

Kaj pa piskanje?

That happens because as the airways constrict,

To je posledica zožanih dihalnih poti,

air whistles as it passes through the narrowed space.

saj zrak piska, ko gre skozi ozke prehode.

These symptoms may make a person feel like they're running out of air.

Zaradi teh simptomov se bolniku lahko zdi, da mu zmanjkuje zraka.

Yet counterintuitively, during an asthma attack,

A v nasprotju z intuicijo, je med astmatičnim napadom

the inflammation can make it harder to exhale than inhale.

zaradi vnetja morda težje izdihniti kot vdihniti.

Over time, this leads to an excess of air in the lungs,

Sčasoma to privede do presežka zraka v pljučih,

a phenomenon known as hyperinflation.

čemur pravimo hiperinflacija.

The trapping of air inside the lungs forces the body to work harder

Zaradi zraka, ujetega v pljučih, se mora telo bolj truditi,

to move air in and out of them.

da zrak potiska v pljuča in iz njih.

Over time, this can lead to reduced oxygen delivery to the body's organs and tissues.

To lahko pripelje do zmanjšane dobave kisika v organe in tkiva.

Sometimes, in untreated severe asthma attacks,

Če hudega astmatičnega napada ne zdravimo,

the body can't keep up,

včasih telo ne zdrži.

which can lead to death from lack of oxygen.

To lahko povzroči smrt zaradi pomanjkanja kisika.

So how do we prevent these uncomfortable and potentially fatal attacks

Kako lahko preprečimo te neprijetne, morda smrtonosne napade

in people who have asthma?

pri astmatikih?

One way is to reduce the presence of triggers.

En način je z zmanjšanjem prisotnosti sprožilcev.

Unfortunately, the world is an unpredictable place

Na žalost je svet nepredvidljiv

and exposure to triggers can't always be controlled.

in izpostavljenosti sprožilcem ne moremo vedno nadzorovati.

This is where inhalers, the primary treatment for asthma, come in.

Tu pomagajo inhalatorji, glavni pripomoček za astmatike.

These medications help asthmatics both control and prevent their asthma symptoms.

Inhalatorji pomagajo nadzorovati in preprečevati simptome astme.

Inhalers transport medication along the affected airways

Zdravilo prepeljejo po obolelih dihalnih poteh

using a liquid mist or fine powder to treat the problem at its source.

s pomočjo tekoče meglice ali finega prahu ter zdravijo težavo, kjer je nastala.

They come in two forms.

Obstajajo v dveh oblikah.

There are reliever medications,

Eno so zdravila, ki lajšajo,

which treat symptoms immediately and contain beta-agonists.

ki takoj zdravijo simptome in vsebujejo beta agoniste.

Beta-agonists relax constricted muslces,

Beta agonisti sprostijo napete mišice

allowing the airways to widen so more air can travel into and out of the lungs.

in razširijo dihalne poti, da lahko več zraka pride v pljuča in iz njih.

The other form of inhalers serve as preventive medications,

Druga vrsta inhalatorjev deluje kot preventivno zdravilo,

which treat asthma symptoms over the long term,

ki dolgoročno zdravi simptome astme

and contain corticosteroids.

in vsebuje kortikosteroide.

Corticosteroids reduce airway sensitivity and inflammation,

Kortikosteroidi zmanjšujejo občutljivost dihalnih poti ter vnetje,

so asthma can be kept under control.

da lahko astmo bolje nadzorujemo.

They're also crucial in preventing long-term damage

So tudi ključni za preprečevanje dolgotrajne škode

from chronic inflammation,

zaradi kroničnega vnetja,

which can cause scarring of the airways.

ki lahko povzroči brazgotine na dihalnih poteh.

Inhalers are known to be very effective,

Inhalatorji so zelo učinkoviti

and have helped many people live better lives.

in mnogim pomagajo bolje živeti.

Although we've come a long way in improving how we treat

Čeprav smo pri zdravljenju in diagnosticiranju astme

and diagnose asthma,

precej napredovali,

we still don't know its exact causes.

še vedno ne poznamo njenih vzrokov.

We currently believe that a combination of genetic and environmental factors

Trenutno verjamemo, da je gre za kombinacijo genetskih

play a role,

in okoljskih dejavnikov,

potentially acting during early childhood.

ki morda vplivajo v zgodnjem otroštvu.

Recent research has even linked poverty to asthma incidents.

Novejše raziskave astmo povezujejo tudi z revščino.

This may be due to reasons ranging

Tu gre lahko za vzroke, povezane

from exposure to additional pollutants and environmental irritants

z izpostavljenostjo dodatnim onesnaževalcem in okoljskim dražilom

to difficulties in obtaining medical care or treatment.

ali s težjim dostopom do medicinske oskrbe in zdravil.

As our understanding of asthma improves,

Bolje ko bomo razumeli astmo, lažje bomo

we can continue to find better ways to keep people's airways happy and healthy.

ohranili človeške dihalne poti srečne in zdrave.