Asthma

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic disease involving the airways in the lungs. These airways allow air to come in and out of the lungs.

Airways in people who have asthma are always inflamed. They become swollen, full of mucus and the muscles around the airways can tighten when something triggers symptoms. This makes it difficult for air to move in and out of the lungs, causing symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and/or chest tightness.

Some otherwise healthy people can develop asthma symptoms only when exercising. This is called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), or exercise-induced asthma (EIA). Staying active is an important way to stay healthy, so asthma shouldn’t keep you from activities you want to do. We can develop a management plan to keep your symptoms under control before, during and after physical activity.

People with a family history of allergies or asthma are more likely to developing asthma. The majority of children who develop asthma do so before the age of five.

There is no cure for asthma, but once it is properly diagnosed and a treatment plan is in place you will be able to manage your condition, and your quality of life will improve.

Poorly controlled asthma can significantly reduce quality of life, cause many missed days of school and/or work. Poorly controlled asthma over a long period of time can cause “remodeling“. This remodeling will cause the airways to be more rigid and in turn permanently cause it to be harder to breathe.