About Asthma

Many people think of asthma as an "attack": one minute you feel okay and the next you have to gasp for air. But asthma causes many symptoms beyond attacks. Perhaps you wheeze, making a squeaky or whistling sound when you breathe. You might have frequent chest colds or bronchitis a few times a year. Or maybe your only asthma symptom is a cough that wakes you up at night or happens when you exercise or laugh.

The important thing to remember is that all asthma is serious and even can be deadly. If you have asthma, you have it all the time—not just when you have symptoms or an attack. It's a chronic disease, meaning it's constant and does not go away. So even though you may feel just fine, you still have asthma. And if you don't treat asthma properly, it can damage your lungs.

The good news is asthma can be controlled to stop symptoms or attacks. Allergists are doctors who have the specialized training and experience to find out what causes your asthma, prevent and treat symptoms, and help keep it under control.

Allergists believe everyone who has asthma should feel good, be active all day, and sleep well at night. You don't need to accept anything less.

If your asthma is in control, you can expect:

• Few or no asthma symptoms, even at night or after exercise
• Prevention of all or most asthma attacks
• No problems being active, including exercising
• No emergency room visits or hospital stays
• Less need for quick-relief medicines
• Few or no side effects from asthma medicines