Asthma is a long-term lung condition that can make it hard to breathe throughout your life. If you have asthma, your airways are always a little swollen or inflamed, even when you don’t have symptoms. Your lungs become extra sensitive to things that might not bother other people; these are known as triggers. Asthma causes changes inside your airways that narrow the space for air to move through, making breathing difficult.
Imagine a healthy airway as a clear tube with no swelling inside. The muscles around it are relaxed, and there’s no extra mucus. Air flows freely. But with asthma, three main changes can happen in your lungs. If asthma isn’t treated well, these changes can sometimes become permanent.
Understanding the difference between healthy and asthmatic airways, highlighting inflammation, mucus, and constriction.
One key change is swelling, also called inflammation. This is when the lining of your airways gets swollen and irritated. When the airways are inflamed, they become narrower, making it harder for air to pass through.
Another change is extra mucus production. In asthma, the airways can produce too much mucus. This extra mucus clogs the airways, making the opening for air even smaller and further obstructing airflow.
The third change is tightening of the muscles around your airways, called bronchoconstriction. These muscles can squeeze tight, reducing the airway opening even more.
When someone with asthma encounters a trigger, like dust, cigarette smoke, or even strong emotions like laughing, one or all of these airway changes can occur. This is what’s known as an asthma attack or asthma episode. All these changes together lead to the airways narrowing, making it difficult to breathe.
To gain more comprehensive knowledge about asthma and available resources, please visit lung.org/asthma.
