| || | Asthma is a chronic condition in which a child has
repeated episodes where air cannot get in and out of the lungs
the way it normally does. InteliHealth Medical Content What is
this? Asthma is a chronic condition in which a child has
repeated asthma "attacks," episodes where air cannot get in and
out of the lungs the way it normally does. This usually happens
when a child with asthma is exposed to some "trigger" such as a
viral infection (for example, the common cold), an allergen (for
example, pollens or animals), an irritant (for example,
cigarette smoke or air pollution), exercise or cold air.
Different people have different triggers and some have more than
one. Inside the lungs, a trigger causes: - The lining inside the
small breathing tubes (airways) to become inflamed and swollen.
- The muscles around the airways to tighten up (constrict). -
More mucus to be made, which gets trapped in the airways.
Together, these things make the airway openings so much smaller
than normal that it is hard for air