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?

FEEDBACK FORM
please fill out this feedback form or send us e-mail about this tutorial

When most of us breathe, the muscles that are wrapped around the air tubes (airways) are very loose and relaxed, and the lining inside the airways is very thin. This lets the airways open up very wide so that it is easy to get air in and out of the small air sacs that make up your lungs. These small sacs are called alveoli (pronounced al-vee-oh-lye). When air moves in and out of your lungs, we call it breathing.

Click on the button if you want to see a short animation showing what normal breathing looks like.

The picture below shows what your lungs look like when everything is working normally. The muscles that are wrapped around the airways are very thin and loose, and the airway is wide open. This makes it easy to move air in and out of the air sacs.

Click on the button to listen to what normal breathing sounds like when a doctor or nurse listens to normal breathing with a stethescope. When you are breathing normally, it takes about the same amount of time to breathe in (inspire) as it does to breathe out (expire).

During an asthma attack, the muscles around the airways tighten, or "spasm" (like when you make a fist) and the lining inside the airways swell or thicken, and get clogged with lots of thick mucous. This makes the airways much skinnier than usual so it is harder to move air in and out of the air sacs. This makes it hard to breathe! The picture below shows what your lungs would look like during an asthma attack.

During an asthma attack, it is actually harder to breathe out than it is to breathe in. This means that during an asthma attack, it takes much longer to breathe out (expire) than it does to breathe in (inspire)

Click on the button to listen to what breathing sounds like during an asthma attack when a doctor or nurse listens with a stethescope. Notice how different this is than when your breathe normally

Click on this button to hear what normal breathing sounds like again.

Since it is so hard to breathe out during an asthma attack, more and more air gets trapped inside the lungs making it feel like you can't breathe in or out!

Click on the button if you want to see a short movie showing what breathing looks like during an asthma attack.

What causes asthma attacks?

Lots of different things can cause an asthma attack. Something that causes an asthma attack is called a trigger. Some common triggers of asthma attacks are:

• allergies
• infections like colds or bronchitis
• exercise
• changes in the weather (from mild to cold)
• smoke