Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways (tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs). If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways are swollen. The inflammation makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating.
Symptoms of asthma include:
- Wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe)
- Coughing
- Chest tightness
- Trouble breathing (especially at night and in the early morning)