Asthma is a long-term chronic lung disease that affects an estimated 339 million people worldwide. Asthma impacts a person’s airways and causes problems with their breathing. There is no cure for asthma, but symptoms can be managed with treatments. Symptoms and signs of asthma include, shortness of breath, chest tightness or pain, wheezing, and coughing. These symptoms can be brought on by different triggers physical activity, allergies, respiratory infections (such as the common cold), cold air, air pollutants, medications, stress, and more.
It is unknown why some individuals will develop asthma, but a few factors increase the
likelihood of developing asthma:
• Genetics (having parents or siblings with asthma)
• Allergies
• Being overweight
• Being a smoker or exposure to secondhand smoke
• Exposure to pollutants