become narrower

produce extra mucus

This makes it more difficult for air to flow into and out of the lungs and causes the symptoms of asthma.

Our bodies need oxygen from the air we breathe in order for our cells to do their work. When we breathe in, air, containing oxygen, enters through the mouth or nose, and descends through the windpipe, to tubes called the bronchi. The bronchi branch out into each lung where oxygen is picked up by passing blood. The blood then carries the oxygen throughout the body.

For a variety of reasons, what happens during an asthma episode is that the bronchial tubes become narrow, or even blocked. As a result, air can't get in or out of the lungs easily, and the child begins to breathe heavily, wheeze or cough.

There are two reasons the bronchi narrow: Either because they are squeezed by muscles from the outside or because they are blocked by mucus and swelling inside the bronchial tubes. So there are two possible conditions associated with an asthmatic's airways, bronchoconstriction and bronchial inflammation. In fact it is widely believed that the more an airway is inflamed, the more likely it is that the bronchial muscles will constrict.

Asthma symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe. They may include:

coughing

wheezing

shortness of breath

tightness in your chest

These symptoms tend to be variable and may stop and start. They are usually worse at night.

The exact cause of asthma isn't fully understood at present. Sometimes, the symptoms flare up for no obvious reason, but you may notice certain triggers that set off an asthma attack or make your symptoms worse. People who suffer from asthma often suffer from allergies as well. It is well known that an asthma attack can be set off by an airborne substance such as pollen, dust, dander, mould or pollution, but food allergens may travel in the bloodstream from the digestive tract to the lungs where they cause histamine release that starts another asthma attack. An asthma attach may also be triggered by viral attack, taking sudden exercise or even having a shock. In fact, emotional reactions such as surprise, anger, shock can bring on an asthma attack, and even the tendency to have asthma itself has an emotional component.

Factors thought to affect your risk of developing asthma include those listed below.

asthma often runs in families and you can inherit the tendency to get inflamed bronchial tubes

if you are a woman, you are more likely to have asthma, whereas boys are more likely than girls to get asthma as a child

there is a theory (called the hygiene hypothesis) that people in developed countries are no longer exposed to the kinds of infections they would have had to deal with in the past so the immune system over-reacts to harmless substances

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