Asthma is a chronic disease of the respiratory system. An asthma patient suffers from attacks that enforce the respiratory system to breath with difficulty. Symptoms of an asthma attack normally include wheezing, choking, gasping for breath and suffocation. These symptoms may even turn fatal at times. Therefore it is very important for an asthma patient to take proper care and precautions regularly.
 
The asthma attack may vary in duration and may leave the person completely exhausted. This respiratory problem may lead to severe organ damage and also the respiratory system may suffer from lack of oxygen for a longer duration of time. It is therefore very important to exercise proper caution and avoid the onset of the attack the maximum extent possible.

An asthma patient should know his system well and also understand what triggers those systems.  Once the triggers are recognized, the person should avoid them as much as possible.

Some of the common triggers for asthmatic attack are:

• Tobacco smoke- which acts an irritant and aggravates the disease.
• Medications like beta blockers used to treat the heart disease, hypertension, migraine and glaucoma) as well as aspirin and other NSAID drugs like ibuprofen.
• Bacterial as well viral infections like common cold and sinusitis.
• Emotional anxiety.
• Common allergens like house dust mites, dust, pollen, foods etc.
• Strenuous physical activities and exercises.

An asthmatic patient should follow the following thing in life:

• A simple and routine life;
• Go out for morning walk on a daily basis;
• The surroundings should be kept neat and tidy in order to avoid dust attacks;
• He should have a simple and nutritious diet;
• He should not get indulged in heavy drinking.

By knowing the behaviour of asthma and by avoiding the causes that triggers it, a patient may avoid more serious complications.