Assess your knowledge of the asthma basics with this quiz.
Chances are, you know someone who has asthma -- or even have it yourself. This brief summary can serve as an introduction or a review of the facts about asthma.
It's important to understand common terms used in asthma management.
An entire team of health care experts is on hand to help people with asthma manage their symptoms and continue to live normal, active lives.
Women are more likely than men to have asthma. Women also have more asthma attacks.
Occupational asthma is a lung disease in which the airways overreact to dust, vapors, gases, smoke or fumes that exist in the workplace.
Nocturnal asthma, also called sleep-related asthma, can happen at any hour during sleep, but symptoms worsen at night.
Occupational asthma is caused by being exposed to irritants in the form of vapors, fumes, gases or allergens in the workplace.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) tracks five major air pollutants that cause significant health effects: ground-level ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide and microscopic particles called particulate matter.
Many people think of asthma as a childhood disease, but it often occurs as a new condition in older adults.
Did you know that smoking cigarettes can make your asthma worse?
Asthma is a disease that can vary in severity from person to person. These are the four levels of asthma severity, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute:
Mild intermittent asthma. Asthma symptoms come and go, occurring no more than twice a week. Symptoms occur at night no more than twice a month. Between asthma attacks, you have no symptoms.
Mild persistent asthma. Symptoms occur more than twice a week but no more than once a day. Symptoms at night occur more than twice a month. Asthma attacks may affect your daily activities.
Moderate persistent asthma. Symptoms occur daily, and nighttime symptoms occur more than once a week. Asthma attacks may affect your daily activities.
Severe persistent asthma. Symptoms occur throughout the day and frequently during the night. Your daily activities are limited because of your symptoms.