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What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic condition that can be controlled. With asthma, the inside wall
of the tubes (airways) that carry air in and out of the lungs become swollen (inflamed). This
inflammation is caused by things that irritate the airways. When airways are irritated, they get
narrower and less air flows to the lungs. The narrowed airways may cause coughing, chest tightness,
wheezing and trouble breathing. If you follow the directions of your primary care provider (PCP), take
your medicine and avoid things (triggers) that bother your airways, you will be able to live an active
life.
What causes asthma?
Asthma may be caused by a combination of things. Medical studies suggest that exposure to things like secondhand smoke, infections and some allergens early in your life may contribute to developing asthma.
Who gets asthma?
 People of all ages can be affected by asthma. Asthma is more common among children than adults, and usually begins in childhood. More boys than girls have asthma in childhood. More women than men have asthma in adulthood.
Asthma is becoming more common in the United States. Approximately 14 million adults and 6 million children have asthma. Asthma is more common among African Americans, Native Americans and Puerto Ricans.
What are the symptoms of asthma?
Asthma symptoms include:
- Coughing. Coughing from asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning, making it hard to sleep.
- Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe.
- Chest tightness. This can feel like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.
- Shortness of breath. Some people say they can’t catch their breath, or they feel breathless or out of breath. You may feel like you can’t get enough air in or out of your lungs.
- Faster breathing or noisy breathing.
People with asthma may have:
- Wheezing when they have a cold or other illness
- Frequent coughing, especially at night (sometimes this is the only sign of asthma in a child)
- Asthma symptoms brought on by exercises such as running, biking or other brisk activity, especially during cold weather
- Coughing or wheezing brought on by prolonged crying or laughing
- Coughing or wheezing when they are near an allergen or irritant
Be sure to talk to your primary care provider or your child’s PCP if you notice any of these symptoms.
What things may cause an asthma attack?
"Triggers" like exercise, allergens, irritants and viral infections may make asthma symptoms worse. The list below gives examples of things that may make asthma symptoms worse.
Allergens 
- Skin, fur or feathers of animals (animal dander)
- Dust mites and house dust (including sawdust and chalk)
- Cockroaches
- Pollen from trees, grass and weeds
- Mold (indoor mold: damp basements and mold in bathrooms, and outdoor mold)
Irritants
- Tobacco smoke
- Air pollution
- Cold air or changes in weather
- Strong odors (chemicals, cleaning agents, spray paint, cooking spray and paint spray)
- Scented products (perfumes and hair spray)
- Strong emotional expressions (including crying or laughing hard), stress and anxiety
Others
- Medicines such as aspirin and beta-blockers
- Food additives (“sulfites”) in foods (dried fruit) or beverages (wine)
- Irritants or allergens that you may be exposed to at your work, such as special chemicals or dust
- Infections (colds, flu and other respiratory infections)
- Exercise. Talk to your Primary Care Provider about using medicine before you exercise to avoid asthma symptoms.
What happens if you smoke and have asthma?
Tobacco smoke has over 4000 harmful chemicals that affect the airways of the lungs, making smoking a serious asthma trigger.
Smoking:
- Makes your asthma medicine less effective
- Increases your chances of permanently damaging the airways of your lungs
- Makes controlling your asthma more difficult
- May increase your frequency of having an asthma attack
- Makes your asthma worse
Does secondhand tobacco smoke affect asthma?
YES! Secondhand smoke (smoke from the burning end of a cigarette) contains higher levels of some chemicals than the smoke inhaled by a smoker.
 If you are an adult living with asthma, secondhand smoke can:
- Increase your sensitivity to other asthma triggers, like pets, pollens and chemicals
- Reduce your lung function
- Increase your need for asthma medicines
- Increase your frequency of having an asthma attack
- Trigger an asthma attack
Secondhand smoke affects babies before birth by:
- Reducing the growth and function of their lungs
- Lowering their birth weight
- Increasing their chances of developing asthma
- Increasing their risk of dying of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Secondhand smoke affects newborn babies and children by:
- Weakening their lung’s ability to operate properly
- Increasing their chances of getting asthma
- Increasing their chances of developing respiratory (breathing) infections
- Increasing the intensity of their asthma symptoms
- Increasing the frequency of their asthma attacks
TAKE CHARGE by being an active member of your health care team
- Have an action plan. Your action plan will tell you what to do at home to treat an attack. See your Primary Care Provider or your child’s PCP to create an action plan. Keep the action plan up to date.
 Check your breathing every day. Use your peak flow meter to monitor how well you are breathing. Record your peak flow numbers for the asthma color "zones": green (good control), yellow (losing control) and red (having an asthma attack) on your action plan. - Know what things make your asthma symptoms worse. Triggers are things that make your asthma symptoms worse. By avoiding things that trigger an asthma attack you may be able to reduce the amount of medicine you need to control your asthma.
- Take your medicines as directed by your Primary Care Provider.
- Your daily control medicine helps prevent asthma attacks. Take your daily control medicine even on the days you feel good.
- Your rescue medicine gives quick, rapid and short-term treatment. Take these medicines only to treat an asthma attack.
- Stop smoking and avoid secondhand smoke. The airways to the lungs are more sensitive in people with asthma. Smoking damages the airways of the lungs and is a trigger that causes the airways to narrow, making asthma symptoms worse.
- Breathing secondhand smoke is a special concern for children because their lungs are smaller. Children exposed to secondhand smoke are more likely to develop asthma in childhood, and are more likely to develop chest infections and other respiratory illnesses. Repeated chest infections in infancy may be an indicator of an increased likelihood of developing asthma.
- If you are pregnant and still smoking, the chemicals in the tobacco smoke will pass to your growing baby via the umbilical cord. The baby's lungs can be affected, which increases the baby's risk of developing wheezing symptoms early in life. Smoking during pregnancy is also linked to many other problems, such as low birth weight, premature labor, and increased risk of fetal death and stillbirth.
- Call the Oregon Quitline or CareOregon for information on smoking cessation. The Oregon Quitline gives you confidential, personalized advice and support to help you stop smoking. Call toll free 1-877-270-7867 to get started today! Or call the Member Service Department of CareOregon for information on your smoking cessation benefits. In the Portland area, call 503-416-4100. Call 1-800-224-4840 outside the Portland calling area. TTY/TDD users may call 1-877-416-4161.
- Get a flu shot. Reduce your risk of getting the flu and colds by getting a flu shot every fall and washing your hands often.
TAKE CHARGE by helping your child live well with asthma
 Children living with asthma can live an active life when their asthma is managed on a daily basis. Asthma may frighten a child who does not understand what is happening to his/her body. You can TAKE CHARGE and help your child live a quality life by ensuring that she or he understand the asthma condition, and honestly answering questions about asthma. Anxiousness is a trigger for asthma attacks. Your child will be less anxious when she or he understands this chronic condition and feels supported.
There are several things that you can do to support your child:
- Protect your child from tobacco smoke by not smoking and not allowing people to smoke in your home.
- Help your child understand what things cause his or her asthma symptoms, and how to avoid them, if possible.
- Take your child to the doctor for regular checkups and treatment.
- Be sure your child gets a flu shot every fall.
- Make sure your child has an asthma action plan and that you know how to follow it.
- Make sure your child takes his/her daily control medicine, even when he/she is feeling well.
- Encourage your child to be active and exercise.
- Make sure your child knows how to take asthma medicine correctly.
- Talk to your child’s other caregivers, teachers, or coaches about his or her asthma. Give them copies of your child’s asthma action plan and discuss clear guidelines regarding when it is necessary to call for emergency care.
- Visit your child’s classroom and other settings to look for possible triggers.
- Be sure a peak flow meter is available in each of your child’s settings (home, school, caregivers) and an adult understands how it works.
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