Asthma Overview

What is Asthma?
Asthma is a condition in which the airways in the lungs overreact to various triggers resulting in narrowing. These narrowings cause obstruction to the flow of air. This happens recurrently and causes one or more of the following symptoms:

• Tightness in the chest
• Labored breathing
• Coughing
• Noises in the chest -rattling, or a whistling on expiration (wheezing)

Why Do I Have Asthma?

Over 10% of people have asthma. It often runs in families along with allergic rhinitis (hay fever) or atopic dermatitis (eczema). The inheritance pattern of asthma is not well understood in how it passes from parents to children.

What Can I Do About It?

Asthma can be controlled!  What's more, those who have asthma can control it. In other words, the physician's role is to help the patient and family learn how, and provide the tools so that it can be managed at home.

Will I Always Have Asthma?

Asthma has a variable course. Many children with asthma see it improve or appear to go away as they get older. This can happen any time in childhood or adolescence. If asthma is Intermittent in type, triggered mainly by viral respiratory infections, there is an excellent likelihood that asthma will be much less of a problem as the child gets older.