Over one billion dollars is spent each year on health care for asthma. Although its exact cause remains a mystery and no cure exists, many excellent treatment options are available to control and reverse this chronic obstruction of the airways. Asthma is a respiratory condition characterized by episodes of airflow obstruction in the bronchial tubes. Symptoms caused by this obstruction include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing and shortness of breath. Although problems are often separated by symptom-free periods, asthma is a chronic illness.
Asthma tends to occur within families.
The role of inheritance plays a less clearer role in adult-onset asthma. People of any age may suffer from asthma, but more than half the cases are found in children between the ages of 2 and 17. In young children, boys are nearly twice as likely to develop asthma as girls, but this sex difference tends to disappear in older age groups. The most common triggers are allergens, aspirin and tartrazine, irritants, food additives and preservatives, viral respiratory infections and physical exertion. Allergens are substances to which susceptible individuals may become allergic.