What Is Asthma?
Asthma (AZ-ma) is a chronic (long-term) lung disease
that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of
wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of
breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the
morning.
Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often
starts in childhood. In the United States, more than 22 million people are
known to have asthma. Nearly 6 million of these people are children.
Overview
The
airways
are tubes that carry air into and out of your lungs. People who have asthma
have inflamed airways. This makes the airways swollen and very sensitive. They
tend to react strongly to certain substances that are breathed in.
When the airways react, the muscles around them
tighten. This causes the airways to narrow, and less air flows to your lungs.
The swelling also can worsen, making the airways even narrower. Cells in the
airways may make more mucus than normal. Mucus is a sticky, thick liquid that
can further narrow your airways.
This chain reaction can result in asthma symptoms.
Symptoms can happen each time the airways are irritated.
Asthma
![Figure A shows the location of the lungs and airways in the body. Figure B shows a cross-section of a normal airway. Figure C shows a cross-section of an airway during asthma symptoms.](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/eot2008/20090114154727im_/http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/images/asthma.jpg)
Figure A shows the location of the
lungs and airways in the body. Figure B shows a cross-section of a normal
airway. Figure C shows a cross-section of an airway during asthma symptoms.
Sometimes symptoms are mild and go away on their own
or after minimal treatment with an asthma medicine. At other times, symptoms
continue to get worse. When symptoms get more intense and/or additional
symptoms appear, this is an asthma attack. Asthma attacks also are called
flareups or exacerbations.
It's important to treat symptoms when you first
notice them. This will help prevent the symptoms from worsening and causing a
severe asthma attack. Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care, and
they can cause death.
Outlook
Asthma can't be cured. Even when you feel fine, you
still have the disease and it can flare up at any time.
But with today's knowledge and treatments, most
people who have asthma are able to manage the disease. They have few, if any,
symptoms. They can live normal, active lives and sleep through the night
without interruption from asthma.
For successful, comprehensive, and ongoing
treatment, take an active role in managing your disease. Build strong
partnerships with your doctor and other clinicians on your health care
team.
September 2008
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