What is the disease? The disease is asthma. Asthma is a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. asthma caucuses recurring wheezing, chest tightest, shortness of breath. The coughing occurs at night or early morning.

How can the disease be prevented Currently the disease can not be prevented but you can help control it by following the action plan and taking your prescribed medicines. If you exercise regularly it can help to calm down your breathing and keep you at ease

What causes the disease Our bodies need oxygen from the air we breath in order for our cells to do their work. When we breath in, air, containing oxygen, enters through the mouth or nose, and descends through the windpipe, to tubes called the bronchi. The bronchi branch out into each lung where oxygen is picked up by passing blood. The blood then carries the oxygen throughout the body. For a variety of reasons, what happens during an asthma episode is that the bronchial tubes become narrow, or even blocked. As a result, air can't get in or out of the lungs easily, and the child begins to breathe heavily, wheeze or cough. There are two reasons the bronchi narrow: Either because they are squeezed by muscles from the outside or because they are blocked by mucus and swelling inside the bronchial tubes.

WHOS AT RISK Asthma affects people of all ages but it most often starts in childhood, in the united states more than 22 million people are known to have asthma. Nearly 6 million of these people are children, young children who have the frequent episodes of wheezing with repertory symptoms. as well as certain risk factors, are at the highest risk of developing asthma that continues beyond 6 years of age Among children more boys have asthma than girls but among adults more girls have the disease then men, its not clear either or how sex and sex hormones play a role causing asthma Most but not all people who have asthma have allergies

What are some of the symptoms Coughing from asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound that occurs when you breath Chest tightness this may feel like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest Shortness of breath some people who have asthma say they cant catch their breath or they feel out of breath. You may feel like you cant get air out of your lungs

How is the disease treated Exercise daily can help to prevent asthma and or keep it under control

What are some relevant statistics and research Approximately 34.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma by a health professional during their lifetime It is estimated that the number of people with asthma will grow by more than 100 million by The prevalence was higher among children than adults and higher among blacks than whites. Among the general population, the prevalence of asthma was higher among females than males

References a-statistics.asp a-statistics.asp s.asp s.asp thma/asthstat.pdf thma/asthstat.pdf