Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways to the lungs. It makes breathing difficult and can make some physical activities challenging or even impossible.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 25 million Americans have asthma.
It’s the most common chronic condition among American children: 1 child out of every 12 has asthma.
To understand asthma, it’s necessary to understand a little about what happens when you breathe.
Normally, with every breath you take, air goes through your nose or mouth and down into your throat and 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. The mucus then fills the airways, further reducing the amount of air that can pass through.
These conditions can then bring on asthma “attack,” the coughing and tightness in your chest that’s typical of asthma.
The most common symptom of asthma is wheezing, a squealing or whistling sound made when you breathe.
Other asthma symptoms may include:
coughing, especially at night, when laughing, or during exercise
tightness in the chest
shortness of breath
difficulty talking
anxiousness or panic
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.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 25 million Americans have asthma.
It’s the most common chronic condition among American children: 1 child out of every 12 has asthma.
To understand asthma, it’s necessary to understand a little about what happens when you breathe.
Normally, with every breath you take, air goes through your nose or mouth and down into your throat and 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. The mucus then fills the airways, further reducing the amount of air that can pass through.
These conditions can then bring on asthma “attack,” the coughing and tightness in your chest that’s typical of asthma.
The most common symptom of asthma is wheezing, a squealing or whistling sound made when you breathe.
Other asthma symptoms may include:
coughing, especially at night, when laughing, or during exercise
tightness in the chest
shortness of breath
difficulty talking
anxiousness or panic
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.
Category
📚
Learning