What Is Asthma?

Speaker 1 (00:02): Asthma is a chronic lung disease that can cause breathing problems throughout someone's lifetime. When you have asthma, there is always a little swelling or inflammation inside the airways, with or without symptoms. Your lungs react to things that may not bother other people. These are known as triggers. Asthma can cause changes within the airway, all of which narrow the opening, making it difficult to breathe. A healthy airway is clear with no interior swelling, and the muscle bands around the airways are not tight. There is no extra mucus. Air moves freely through the open airway. When you have asthma, three main changes can happen in your lungs. If your asthma is left untreated or poorly controlled, changes to the structure of the airway may be permanent. One is swelling or inflammation. This is when the airway becomes swollen and irritated. When the airway becomes inflamed, it narrows and it is hard for air to flow through. Another change that can occur with asthma is extra mucus production, which clogs the airway, making the opening even smaller. The third change that can happen with asthma is the tightening of the muscles that surround your airways, called bronchoconstriction. This reduces the opening even more. When someone with asthma comes in contact with an asthma trigger such as dust, tobacco smoke, or even when laughing, any one or all three of the airway changes can happen. This is known as an asthma attack, or episode. All of these changes contribute to the narrowing of the airways, making it hard to breathe. Learn more at lung.org/asthma.