Asthma is a medical condition that affects the airways (the breathing tubes that carry air into our lungs). From time to time, people with asthma find it harder to breathe in and out, because the airways in their lungs become narrower – like trying to breathe through a thin straw. 
At other times their breathing is normal.

The most common symptoms of asthma are:
- wheezing – a high-pitched sound coming from the chest while breathing
- a feeling of not being able to get enough air or being short of breath
- a feeling of tightness in the chest
- coughing.

You don’t have to have all these symptoms to have asthma.
 
Asthma symptoms can be triggered by different things for different people. Common triggers include exercise, cigarette smoke, colds and flu, and allergens in the air (e.g. grass pollen).

For good control of asthma, you need:
- medicines – taken the right way, at the right time
- regular medical visits for check-ups and to learn more about living with asthma
- an action plan, so you know exactly what to do when symptoms happen.

Please see one of our doctors about your asthma plan.