If you or your child has recently been diagnosed with asthma, you are not alone. Some 12 million to 15 million people, including 5 million children, have asthma, according to the National Institutes of Health. The number of asthma sufferers has more than doubled since 1980.
Researchers have theories for the rise, but no one knows exactly why it is happening.
Asthma is an increasingly costly problem for our society. Crores of rupees are spent on asthma treatment for adults and children, yet the number of cases continues to rise. Asthma can be terrifying, particularly during an acute attack. Few things are as scary as not being able to breathe. Difficulty breathing is one of asthma s most common symptoms, but there are others.