Summary of Be Aware

  • Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs. Asthma stays with you for years and children do not “grow out” of it.
  • An asthma attack is when a person with asthma has trouble breathing. An asthma attack can be small (a little cough) or big (serious problems breathing).
  • Asthma attacks happen when the airways become narrow, making it hard for air to pass through to the lungs.
  • The smaller airways of an asthma attack are caused by three things:
    1. Swelling of the airway walls
    2. Buildup of mucus in the airways
    3. Tightening of the muscles around the airways, also known as a bronchospasm.
  • Common symptoms of asthma are dry coughing, wheezing, or tightness of the chest.
  • Asthma attacks are usually “triggered” by ordinary things around us such as dust, mold and cigarette smoke. Things that cause a person to have an asthma attack are called triggers.
  • Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled.

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  • Last updated September 8th, 2010
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