What causes your Asthma
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways. Some people develop asthma because they are allergic to common environmental airborne allergens. Others develop asthma because of occupational exposures to workplace materials. And still others develop asthma for unclear reasons. An important feature of asthma is an exaggerated tendency to develop bronchospasm after being exposed to a wide variety of inhaled substances.1
- Bronchospasm (Airway Hyperresponsiveness) - Tightening or constriction of the muscles surrounding the airways (bronchial tubes). This causes the airways to narrow.1
- Airway inflammation (Swelling and irritation of the airways) - This swelling also causes the airways to narrow.1
Together, bronchospasm and airway inflammation, by narrowing the airways, cause many of the asthma symptoms you may experience (wheezing, chest tightness, coughing and shortness of breath).1
ProAir® HFA and Asthma
ProAir® HFA is an albuterol sulfate inhaler. Albuterol is a bronchodilator, a medicine that opens up the airways in your lungs during an asthma attack. ProAir® HFA can be used to help relieve your sudden asthma symptoms when they occur.1, 2
Like many asthma medicines delivered from a metered-dose inhaler, ProAir® HFA uses a propellant - a gas that sprays the medicine out of the canister.2 In the past, the propellant used in metered-dose inhalers was a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), but this propellant damaged the environment by depleting stratospheric ozone levels.1 The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and the US Clean Air Act have required the elimination of CFCs from metered-dose inhalers to protect the environment3. IVAX Laboratories developed ProAir® HFA, which delivers albuterol using the CFC-free propellant hydrofluoroalkane-134a.
The Pros of ProAir® HFA:
Albuterol is an effective bronchodilator which works within minutes to open your airways. It is safe and should provide protection from bronchospasm for 4 to 6 hours.2
ProAir® HFA provides a consistent dose of albuterol for 200 complete sprays. There is no need to reprime ProAir® HFA for up to 14 days following the last dose.2
Please see important safety information.
References:
- National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, “Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma,” 1997
- ProAir® HFA Package Insert, 2006
- The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer as adjusted and/or amended in London 1990, Copenhagen 1992, Vienna 1995, Montreal 1997, Beijing 1999, "Preamble," http://www.unep.org/ozone/Montreal-Protocol/Montreal-Protocol2000.shtml#_Toc483027784. Accessed June 2, 2006.
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