What is Asthma?
When my kids have a problem, I try to find out as much as I can about it. When I
found out about Alex’s asthma, I started talking to other parents and doctors.
I looked at Web sites. And what I found about asthma—everything was new to me.
I was surprised how common it was. Did you know about 9 million kids have been
diagnosed with asthma?1
It’s one of the most common long-term diseases of children. I learned that
asthma affects the lungs. Alex’s lungs will always have some amount of
swelling, or as the doctors call it, inflammation. And when he comes into
contact with his triggers, those are the things that make his inflammation
worse and cause his asthma symptoms. For Alex, it’s dust, allergies, and those
times when he gets a cold.
When he gets any of those triggers, his lungs become irritated and swollen, and
the muscles around his airways tighten, and that’s what makes it so hard to
breathe. And for a lot of kids, an episode can get so bad they could need to go
to an emergency room. And for me, I’m always trying to find out what I can do
to help prevent any of that, so it never gets to that point.