Did You Really Grow Out Of Your Asthma?

There are a lot of conventional wisdom sayings and general ideas about health, and asthma is one of the more risky situations. Along with allergies being highly susceptible to cold and flu seasons, a popular idea is that people can "grow out" of their asthma. This usually comes without any details onto how it happens or how likely it may be, but there's no shortage of former asthma sufferers who seem like good examples. There are also plenty of adults with asthma who had no change. To get to the bottom of this potential myth, half truth, or simple variable of life, here's a few details about what it means to grow out of asthma.

You Can't Be Cured From A Category

Asthma is actually a category of linked symptoms that result in a common difficulty to breathe. It is considered a disease, but multiple, specific causes are known to trigger asthma. You can never truly be "cured" of asthma because it's a response to a situation, much like sneezing because of something in your nose. Asthma represents a dangerous inflammation of the airways and lungs, which causes shortness of breath.

Modern science has separated other conditions from the general asthma category. For example, many people born in the 1980's and prior may have been mistakenly diagnosed as having asthma and allergies leading to their condition. It is possible to have both conditions, but it's also possible that a person's allergies resulted in smelling or mucus production that was so severe that it creates asthma-like symptoms.

Panic attacks are another separate, but sometimes linked situation. A panic situation can lead to contraction of different parts of the bronchial system, and such contraction along with heavy, stressed breathing can lead to irritation.

Getting Stronger Hides Many Old Problems

A possible answer for why some people seem to be free of their allergies when they get older is human growth in general. Bigger, stronger lungs and larger airways can make previous problems of inflammation or mucus buildup a non issue, especially if there is a limit to the amount of swelling or contraction. It still happens, but greater lung capacity and airway size make it nearly unnoticeable.

It is possible for the body to cure itself or correct itself of other conditions, or for medication and therapy to solve those problems. This is an issue of misdiagnosis, where one of the previously mentioned conditions such as allergies or immune system weakness was the actual cause. Treating those issues as a child can lead to better adult situations, and some people simply grow out of those conditions--and asthma technically no longer becomes a problem.

If you're wondering why your asthma still persists, have a teenager who doesn't seem to be getting better nearing adulthood, or if asthma seems to be coming back after a period adulthood healthiness, contact an asthma doctor to look for possible causes.