Asthma
Asthma is a disease that affects the airways in the lungs, making them go narrow for a few hours or sometimes days, so that it is harder for air to get through and therefore making it harder to breath. It is one of the most common long-term diseases of children, but adults can have asthma, too. People who suffer from this chronic condition (long-lasting or recurrent) are said to be asthmatic.
Asthma causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing at night or early in the morning. If you have asthma, you have it all the time, but you will have asthma attacks only when something bothers your lungs.
An asthma attack can happen when you are exposed to “asthma triggers.” Your triggers can be very different from those of someone else with asthma. Some of the most common triggers are:
Asthma causes wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing at night or early in the morning. If you have asthma, you have it all the time, but you will have asthma attacks only when something bothers your lungs.
An asthma attack can happen when you are exposed to “asthma triggers.” Your triggers can be very different from those of someone else with asthma. Some of the most common triggers are:
- Dust mites (tiny bugs that live in dust)
- Mold (if you've ever been in a damp basement and smelled something funny, it was probably mold)
- Pollen (from trees, grass, and weeds)
- Tobacco Smoke
- Outdoor air pollution
- Pets
- Physical exercise