Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs. You can have a mild or serious form of asthma. If you have asthma, you may have a bad cough, wheezing, a tight feeling in the chest, and trouble breathing. Asthma cannot be cured, but it can usually be controlled.

In an asthma attack, the airways (or bronchial tubes) in your lungs react to some stimulus or trigger. The airways become inflamed and swollen and make more mucus than usual. Muscles around the airways in your lungs tighten or constrict. The constriction and swelling make it hard to breathe and cause the other symptoms of asthma.

Each year, nearly 500,000 Americans are hospitalized and more than 5,000 die from asthma. Children are more likely to develop asthma than adults, especially inner-city children. African Americans are hospitalized for asthma and are more likely to die from asthma than other Americans.