Asthma is a chronic illness in which the airways become obstructed, making breathing difficult. The main symptoms include:
Asthma can cause wheezing, shortness of breath and coughing in response to a variety of triggers.
Asthma can affect both children and adults. Those at high risk include:
Asthma is divided into three types—airway obstruction, inflammation and airway irritability.
Asthma reduces oxygen flow to the lungs, making it difficult to breathe and in severe cases to even talk. If you are coughing and wheezing, or experiencing chest tightness and finding it hard to breathe, you may have asthma.
With the right treatment, asthma patients can live a normal life. However, if left untreated, it can lead to frequent hospital visits and poor quality of life.