Understanding Asthma Asthma is a long-term, chronic inflammatory disorder that blocks airflow in and out of the lungs. Asthma causes tiny airways in the lungs to over-react to specific factors - called triggers - and to become inflamed and obstructed, making it difficult to breath comfortably. Airways also get smaller due to a tightening of the muscles in the walls of airways, and/or "stuffed up" due to large amounts of mucus. An estimated 15 million Americans, including 4.8 million infants, children, and adolescents, suffer from asthma and its familiar symptoms: shortness of breath, tightness in the chest, wheezing, and coughing. In infants and young children, signs of asthma may appear as rapid respiration, noisy breathing, and chest congestion which are often mistakenly treated as an infection. Under-diagnosis and improper treatment are major threats to effective asthma management. How much do you know about asthma?   ABOUT THIS PROGRAM | UNDERSTANDING ASTHMA MANAGING YOUR ASTHMA | CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA | FOR MORE INFORMATION | MAIN PAGE   BACK TO HEALTHWORKS © 1998 Prairie Public Broadcasting, Inc.