Children's Medical Center of the University of Virginia

WHAT?
what is asthma?

WHY?
why does asthma occur and what happens during an asthma attack?

SYMPTOMS?
what does it feel like to have an asthma attack?

HOW?
how do doctors help make asthma better?

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 Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system. Your respiratory system is made up of your nose and mouth, your windpipe (also called your trachea, pronounced tray-key-uh), your lungs, and a bunch of air tubes (or airways) that connect your nose and mouth with your lungs (these tubes are called bronchi and bronchioles, prounounced bron-kye and bron-key-oles).

People who have asthma sometimes have trouble breathing. When people who have asthma have this trouble breathing, we call it an asthma attack. Lots of people have asthma attacks, even the two girls just below. Click on their pictures to hear what they feel like when they have an asthma attack.