Asthma is the seventh-ranked chronic health condition in the United States and the leading chronic illness of children. It is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways (bronchial tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants.

During an asthma attack, tightening of the smooth muscles around the bronchial tubes causes them to become inflamed, narrow inside, and produce excess mucus. This makes it difficult for air to pass in and out of the lungs and decreases the oxygen levels in the blood. A person suffering from an asthma attack has a sensation similar to drowning.

It is currently estimated that as many as 300 million people world wide suffer from asthma, and that number continues to rise

Here are a few symptoms of asthma: