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.