Contents
2 min read
About
Inhalers are essential tools in managing asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This short explainer breaks down the two main types - preventative and rescue inhalers - showing how they work to control symptoms or provide quick relief in emergencies. Science journalist Anna Rothschild reveals the fascinating science behind these small but life-saving devices.
Video details & Credits
- Duration: 255 seconds
- Format: 2d animation
- Client: TED-Ed
- Studio: Darvideo.tv
- Timing: 16 weeks
Story
Early 20th century writer, Marcel Proust, finished his magnum opus In Search of Lost Time from bed - in a cork-lined room to keep allergens out. Proust suffered from severe asthma. When breathlessness set in, he’d burn powders that filled the space with medicated smoke and fumes. Or, for a quick fix, he’d smoke a doctor-recommended anti-asthma cigarette! These powders and cigarettes commonly contained thorn apple, which can open your airways. However, both were clearly terrible ideas. Smoking and fumes brings damaging, carcinogenic toxins into your lungs.
Thankfully today we have inhalers- simple, but powerful, devices that deliver lung medications straight to the source, and without the nasty side effects of smoke inhalation. Inhalers are mainly used to treat two conditions: asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. And there are two main types. Preventative inhalers can be used every day to control symptoms. There are also rescue inhalers, which are great in an emergency, but using them regularly can be dangerous.
So how do they work? When you take a breath, air travels through your lungs using tubes called airways, or bronchi. The airways funnel to sacs, called alveoli, where your red blood cells absorb all the oxygen your body needs. But if you have asthma, the muscles around your airways may tighten, the lining of your airways may get inflamed, and your lungs may make too much of the mucus they use to trap dust and germs. Essentially, this clogs the pipes and makes it difficult to exhale. Rescue inhalers deliver a medication called a “bronchodilator” that quickly relaxes these muscles, making it easier to breathe.
These bronchodilators are “short-acting,” lasting around four hours. Rescue inhalers can be used for COPD, too. COPD is a catch-all term to describe the most common breathing conditions, like emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which people often have at the same time. In emphysema, repeated exposure to smoke or irritating particles breaks the inner walls of the alveoli. Because there’s less surface area for blood and oxygen to interact, less oxygen makes its way into your bloodstream, causing you to constantly feel out of breath. In chronic bronchitis, the airway’s lining is inflamed and produces more mucus to trap incoming smoke or dust particles. And the little hairs lining the airways that normally help push the mucus out are often damaged,
During a COPD attack, rescue inhalers open the airways, just as they do for asthma. Preventative inhalers are used daily to stop asthma and COPD symptoms before they even start.
