Respiratory explanations

Asthma

The lungs are like a set of tubes, which split into smaller tubes. These tubes are normally elastic and flexible, and the tubes are wide open. In asthma, your breathing tubes are more sensitive than normal. This means that some things, like pollen or pet hair, can trigger them to close up and get filled with sticky mucus. When this happens, it can be hard to breathe. This can make your chest feel tight as well. Because it is hard to breathe, you might not be able to get enough oxygen into your lungs. So, we need to try open your breathing tubes back up.

There’s no cure currently, but there are simple treatments that can help keep the symptoms under control, so it does not have a big impact on your life.

COPD

The lungs are like a set of tubes, which split into smaller tubes. These tubes are normally elastic and flexible, and the tubes are wide open. In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the breathing tubes are damaged and narrowed, so it is harder to get air in and out. This can make you feel breathless and wheezy. The main cause of damage to the lungs causing COPD is smoking.

The damage to the lungs caused by COPD is permanent, but treatment can help slow down the progression of the condition. The breathing problems tend to get gradually worse over time and can limit your normal activities, but treatment can keep it under control.

The most important thing you can do in COPD is stop smoking, as smoking makes it much worse. We can try to use inhalers and medicines to help make breathing easier.