What is Asthma?
Asthma is a serious chronic disease of the airways and in the lungs with symptoms that can change from day to day. While there is no cure for asthma, it can be controlled with proper medicines and care. Children with a family history of asthma have an increased chance of developing asthma. Asthma is also more common in children who have allergies or who are exposed to tobacco smoke. Children with asthma can live normal, active lives.
There are three major features of asthma:
• Inflammation. Children with asthma have red and swollen bronchial tubes, very similar to a rug burn or sun burn on the skin. Doctors believe inflammation greatly contributes to long-term damage in the lungs. Controlling inflammation with daily medications is a key to managing asthma.
• Airway irritability. The airways of children with asthma are extremely sensitive to many common things in your home and outside. The airways tend to overreact and get smaller when exposed to even the slightest triggers such as pollens, animal dander, or dust.
• Airway obstruction. During normal breathing, muscles that surround the airways are relaxed, and allow children to breathe easily. But in children with asthma, the muscles surrounding the airways tighten making it difficult to breathe normally or easily. Fortunately, this muscle tightening around the airways making them smaller is reversible with quick relief medications like albuterol.