Patient Health International – health information for patients and carers

Asthma and other diseases

Questions

Answers to your questions

Is asthma related to other chronic diseases such as rheumatism and diabetes?
Chronic rheumatism can affect the lungs, but not in the form of asthma. Long-term treatment with cortisone tablets, e.g. for asthma, can provoke diabetes. The corticosteroids taken directly into the lungs via inhalers - inhaled corticosteriods - are not known to have this effect. Apart from that, there is no connection between asthma and other chronic diseases.

Is asthma a psychological (psychosomatic) disease?
No, asthma is not a psychosomatic condition, it is a chronic inflammatory disease that leads to an over-sensitive and easily irritated mucus membrane in the airways.
But while the disease itself is not psychological, the symptoms of it can be provoked by many stimuli, including psychological ones. Financial problems, for example, or not enjoying your work or worrying about your family can be part of what triggers asthma symptoms.

What is the difference between asthma and COPD (chronic obstructive lung disease)? The same medications are often given to treat both.
COPD is a collective name for chronic bronchitis, and emphysema, two diseases that are almost always caused by smoking.

COPD may have many of the same symptoms as asthma (breathless attacks, wheezing noise in the chest, mucus production, coughing) and the treatment is similar to asthma. But COPD, unfortunately, can cause greater chronic disability and have a greater effect on the heart and other organ systems, something that needs to be considered when treatment is prescribed.

Is emphysema the same as asthma?
No, emphysema is different from asthma, although some of the symptoms (such as wheezing and difficulty in breathing) are similar.
Emphysema is a disease where the lungs have been damaged by external factors such as smoking or pollution. Asthma is a condition caused by an inflammation of the airways that can be triggered by factors such as cigarette smoke, cold air or an allergy to pollens or dust mites.