What is asthma? The more you can learn about asthma, the better you and your loved ones can manage living with this disease. Get the basics on how asthma affects your body and the impact of this condition.

Most people with asthma experience a tight feeling in the chest, shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing at some point in their life. This section can help you identify the experiences or exposures that cause your symptoms to start and put you at risk for an asthma flare-up, understand the steps to take when you experience symptoms, when to see the doctor or seek immediate help.

Asthma is a disease that requires a diagnosis by a healthcare professional and ongoing assessments and monitoring throughout your lifetime. At the initial visit, your asthma care provider will determine your level of severity and create a treatment plan.

While there is no cure for asthma, it can be managed by working with a healthcare provider to develop a plan to avoid asthma triggers and use medication properly. Our tools and resources can help you manage your asthma and create asthma-friendly environments so you can be active and healthy.

View our tools and resources for health professionals and volunteers to provide guideline-based asthma care and education. Plus see how you can be an advocate for policies that will help people with asthma breathe easier in the future.

Asthma research helps us understand how the disease is caused, how it develops and how it is best treated. See some of the current topics American Lung Association funded researchers are investigating.