Asthma is a disease that affects your breathing. It can happen any time in a person's life. Both children and adults can have asthma. During an asthma attack, the muscles that wrap around the airways tighten. The airways become smaller and smaller, and breathing is difficult.
Triggers are things in the environment that cause the muscles of the airway to tighten and squeeze.
Your health care provider can help you identify your individual triggers and how to avoid them. During an asthma attack, muscles around the airway tighten and make it hard for you to breathe. This is called bronchoconstriction. Then, cells gather in the airway and start giving off chemicals. This is called inflammation.