Asthma is a chronic lung disease that cannot be cured – only controlled.

When you have asthma, your airways are super sensitive. They react to many irritants, such as cigarette smoke, pollen or cold air.

What Are the Main Symptoms of Asthma?

• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Tightness in the chest
• Recurrent or persistent cough

Not all people with asthma wheeze. For some, coughing may be the only symptom of asthma. Coughing often occurs during the night or after exercise.

t is important to know that treatment can reverse asthma symptoms – treating even mild symptoms of asthma can keep the symptoms from getting worse.

What Happens During an Episode of Asthma?

Asthma affects the airways in your lungs. During an episode of asthma:

• The lining of the airways becomes swollen (inflamed).
• The airways produce a thick mucus.
• The muscles around the airways tighten and make the airways narrower.

These changes in the airways block the flow of air, making it hard to breathe.

You need to know the ways that asthma affects the airways so you can understand why it often takes more than one medicine to treat the disease. Very simply, some medicines relax the airways – these are called “quick relief” – and others, called “long term control,” reduce the swelling and mucus.

The Role of Heredity
The capacity to have asthma is an inherited characteristic. To some extent, asthma seems to run in families. People whose brothers, sisters or parents have asthma are more likely to develop the illness themselves.