Asthma: Brief Version

What is asthma?

Asthma is a lung disease. It causes wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. You can get asthma at any age, but it is more common in children.

If you have asthma, you may start coughing or wheezing:

• When you exercise.
• When you breathe in something you are allergic to, like dust, pollen, mold, or animal dander.
• When you breathe in something that irritates your lungs, like cold air, viruses, and tobacco smoke.

When this coughing and wheezing happens, it is called an asthma attack. An asthma attack may:

• Last a few minutes or several days.
• Be mild or severe.
• Cause death if it is severe and not treated in time.

It is very important to get treatment for asthma so you can live a healthy, active life.

How does asthma happen?

If you have asthma, the airways in your lungs are always a little swollen. The airways tighten and get more swollen when you exercise or you breathe something you are allergic to or that irritates your lungs. The airways also start making more mucus than you need. This means that there is less room for air to move in and out. You may:

• Feel tight in the chest.
• Feel short of breath.
• Cough or wheeze.

How do I know if I have asthma?

Your healthcare provider will:

• Ask about your breathing problems.
• Examine you.
• Give you breathing tests.

How is asthma treated?

With asthma treatment, you should be able to live a normal, active life. You will probably need to:

• Take medicine.
• Stay away from things that make it hard for you to breathe.

There are 2 main kinds of medicines for asthma.

• Quick-relief medicines help open your airways so more air can move in and out. Quick-relief medicines are used to treat asthma attacks. They are sometimes called rescue medicines because they act fast. You should always have a quick-relief medicine with you, in case you start coughing or wheezing. Albuterol is the generic name for one of the quick-relief medicines that is used a lot.
• Controller medicines help keep the airways from swelling. They are taken every day to prevent asthma attacks. These drugs do not help stop an asthma attack. They cannot be used to stop an asthma attack after you have started wheezing.

Quick-relief medicines are breathed in with an inhaler. Other medicines may be inhaled or taken as a pill.

Be sure you know how to use your inhaler the right way.

• Ask your healthcare provider to show you how to use the inhaler.
• Ask your pharmacist how you can tell when your inhaler is empty.

You may need a peak flow meter to check how well you are breathing.

• You blow as hard and fast as you can into the peak flow meter to see how well you are breathing. Your provider will help you learn what is normal for you.
• The peak flow meter will help you know when your asthma is getting worse. You will know when you should take more medicine to keep from having a bad asthma attack. You will also know when you need to see your healthcare provider right away. Your provider will tell you how to use the flow meter to help you take good care of your asthma.

How can I take care of myself?

It's important to:

• Learn how to tell when you are starting to have an asthma attack. (Your peak flow meter will help.)
• Take your medicines exactly as your healthcare provider tells you.
• Keep your checkup appointments as often as your provider recommends.
• Get a flu shot every October.
• Stay away smoke and other things that cause an asthma attack.
• Talk to your provider about ways you can keep your home free of things that could make it hard to breathe:

Tell your healthcare provider right away if:

• It is hard for you to breathe comfortably even though you are taking your medicines.
• You are having more coughing or wheezing than normal even though you are taking your medicines.

Someone may need to drive you to the emergency room or call 911 if:

• You are having an asthma attack that is not getting better even though you have used your quick-relief inhaler.