Professor German
EngWr 300
9 November 2013
Asthma: A Modern Problem
Throughout our day we perform a variety of physical tasks: Walking, sitting down, getting up, going up and down stairs, and even running for those are more physically active. Since these physical activities can be extremely simple and routine to the average person, they are often done effortlessly without thought, giving people the freedom to focus their minds on bigger matters. Imagine if you could not accomplish these basic activities without a great effort. Suddenly, it becomes harder to breath, you get a tight feeling in your chest and can’t catch your breath no matter how hard you try- and suddenly all these simple tasks seem like finishing a marathon. …show more content…
According to the National Institute of Health, around 7 million of the 22 million cases in the United States are of children, and most cases of asthma in adults started in their childhood. The website has also stated that asthma is more common in young boys than girls, although in adulthood, asthma is more common in women than men. Since most adults still suffering from asthma started as kids, and a big percentage of people afflicted with asthma are still children, the disease can be considered a much bigger problem for children. Since children are weaker and more vulnerable to diseases, in comparison to adults, the symptoms of asthma can be more difficult for them to handle, and can place bigger obstacles in their development. Children with asthma are often stunted physically, socially, and mentally. The constant complications with breathing and wheezing episodes can make their physical education in school much more difficult, and children with asthma may have to be excused from the physical aspects of school. Because of their difficulties with playing sports and keeping up with the other kids, children with asthma may also have a harder time achieving a rounded social life, due to their constant fear of experiencing a wheezing episode or an asthma flare. When children aren’t able to meet their physical expectations and spend enough …show more content…
Mostly a problem with children in the Western world, asthma can be a major obstacle in a person’s life, and can prevent them from achieving what most healthy people can do. A disease that affects breathing and can make it difficult to exist in certain environments due to chances of an asthma flare, asthma can often make patients feel as if they cannot keep up with everyone else, and can hurt them physically and emotionally. A disease that is mainly hereditary or caused by environmental factors, asthma currently has no cure, although patients are able to keep their symptoms under control with proper treatments. Due to the fact that the rates of asthma are continuously growing in the West, with no sign of a cure in the near future, asthma continues to be one of the major problem diseases the world is facing