Asthma
What is Asthma?
Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that makes breathing difficult. With Asthma, there is inflammation of the air passages that results in a temporary narrowing of the airways that carry oxygen to the lungs.If it is severe, asthma can result in decreased breathing activity and inability to talk.
Asthma may occur at any age, although it’s more common in people under age 40.People who have a family history of asthma have an increased risk of developing the disease.Asthma is increasingly prevalent among children.As of 2013, an estimated 7.1 million children under age 18 (9.5%) have been diagnosed with the disease.
What causes Asthma?
People with asthma have very sensitive airways that react to many different things in the environment called “asthma triggers.” Contact with these triggers cause asthma symptoms to start or worsen. The following are common triggers for asthma:
Symptoms
Asthma symptoms can vary from episode to episode in the same child. Signs and symptoms of asthma to look for include: