ASTHMA IS A LONG-TERM LUNG CONDITION THAT CAN CAUSE BREATHING PROBLEMS1

People with asthma have sensitive airways (passage that carries air in and out of your lungs), which can become inflamed and narrowed when triggered by something, also known as an asthma trigger. This makes it harder for air to flow, which causes breathing problems.1,2

Normal airway

Airways are not inflamed and
air can flow freely3,4

Asthma airway

Airways are inflamed and swollen,
reducing air flow3

Asthma attack

Airways are extremely swollen and
narrow, severely reducing air flow4

ASTHMA SYMPTOMS

Common asthma symptoms include:2,5,6

Wheeze

Whistling sound when
breathing out

Shortness of breath

Unable to take deep,
full breaths

Chest tightness

Feeling of having pressure
on the chest or insides
being squeezed

Cough

Typically, a dry cough that
may worsen at night or
in the early morning

Other conditions can cause these symptoms, but in asthma, the symptoms often follow a pattern:5

  • They come and go over time or within the same day
  • They start or worsen with viral infections such as a cold
  • They are triggered by exercise, allergies, cold air or breathing too fast from laughing or crying
  • They are worse at night or in the morning

While there is no cure, asthma can be controlled with
treatment and an Asthma Action Plan1

  1. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. What is asthma? 2022. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/asthma. Accessed November 2022.
  2. GINA. Global strategy for asthma management and prevention, 2022. Available at: https://ginasthma.org/gina-reports/. Accessed November 2022. 
  3. Sinyor B & Perez LC. Pathophysiology of asthma, In: StatPearls, 2022. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551579/. Accessed November 2022.
  4. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Asthma attack, 2022. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/asthma/attacks. Accessed November 2022.
  5. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Symptoms, 2022. Available at: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/asthma/symptoms. Accessed November 2022.
  6. Niimi A. Curr Respir Med Rev. 2011;7(1):47–54.

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NP-SG-ASU-WCNT-230001. April 2023.