Question: how does smoking and asthma affect the respiratory system?
Answer: If you have asthma, smoking is especially risky because of the damage it does to the lungs. Smoke irritates the airways, making them swollen, narrow, and filled with sticky mucus — the same things that happen during an asthma flare-up. That's why smoking can cause asthma flare-ups (or "attacks") to happen more often.