Asthma

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways to the lungs. It makes breathing difficult and can make some physical activities difficult or even impossible.

To understand asthma, you need to understand a little about what happens when you breathe.

Normally, with every breath you take, air goes through your nose and down into your throat, into your airways, eventually making it to your lungs. There are lots of small air passages in your lungs that help deliver oxygen from the air into your bloodstream.

Asthma symptoms occur when the lining of your airways swell and the muscles around them tighten. Mucus then fills the airways, further reducing the amount of air that can pass through.

These conditions then bring on an asthma “attack,” the coughing and tightness in your chest that is typical of asthma.

Asthma symptoms

Symptoms of asthma include:

• coughing, especially at night, when laughing, or during exercise
• wheezing, a squealing or whistling sound made when breathing
• tightness in the chest
• shortness of breath
• fatigue

The type of asthma that you have can determine which symptoms you experience.

Not everyone with asthma will experience these particular symptoms. If you think the symptoms you’re experiencing could be a sign of a condition such as asthma, make an appointment to see your doctor.

The first indication that you have asthma may not be an actual asthma attack. Discover some early symptoms of asthma you may experience instead.