Asthma (AZZ-muh) is a disease of the breathing tubes that carry air to the lungs. The linings of the tubes swell, and they fill up with mucus (MYOO-kus). This is called inflammation (in-fluh-MAY-shun). It makes the tubes get narrow. This makes it hard to breathe.
Asthma can cause sickness, hospital stays, and even death. But children with asthma can live normal lives.
Symptoms of asthma can be different for each person. They can come quickly or start slowly and they can change. Symptoms may include:
There are 2 kinds of asthma medicines:
Always use a spacer for medicines that are breathed in through the mouth. A spacer is a tube that you put between the medicine and the mouth. It helps get the medicine into the lungs (see picture above).
They work fast to open airways (the breathing tubes or bronchioles). They relieve tightness in the chest, wheezing, and feeling...