INFORMATION

Asthma is a chronic disease in which sufferers have repeated attacks of difficulty in breathing and coughing.
Asthma is a lung condition that makes the primary airways, also known as the bronchi, in the lungs swollen and inflamed all of the time.
The main airway (windpipe, trachea) of the body is about 2-3 cm across. It divides into its main branches (bronchi), which lead to the right and left lung, which divide further.

People who have asthma are more sensitive than other people to things inhaled from the environment, known as triggers. These triggers make the muscles in an asthma sufferer's lungs tighten, constricting the air passages and making breathing difficult.

The bronchi also have an inner lining that becomes inflamed in asthma, which makes the lining swell and produce an excess amount of the mucus (phlegm) which it normally makes.
All of these processes contribute to the airway narrowing and the treatment for asthma is aimed at reversing them as much as possible.