Asthma is a condition that affects the airways - the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs.When an asthmatic comes into contact with something that irritates their airways i.e. An asthma trigger, the muscles around the walls of the airways tighten so that the airways become narrower and the airwaylining becomes inflamed and starts to swell. Extra sticky mucus, at times called ‘phlegm’ is made which can further narrow the airways and can cause coughing. These reactions cause the airways to become narrower and irritated - making it hard to breathe, leading to asthma symptoms.

It’s tough to say for certain what causes asthma

What we do identify is that you’re more possible to grow asthma if you have a family history of asthma, eczema or allergies. It’s expected that this family history, joined with certain environmental factors, affects whether or not someone develops asthma.A study has shown that smoking during pregnancy pointedlysurges the peril of a child developing asthma. Also, children whose parents smoke are more possible to develop asthma.

Symptoms of asthma

When your asthma flares up, the most common symptoms are:

• Coughing.
• Wheezing.
• Shortness of breath.
• Tightness in the chest.