What is asthma?
Q: What is asthma?
A: Asthma (or Asthma bronchiale) is a disease that hurts the airways inside the lungs. It causes the tissue inside the airways to swell and makes it hard for enough air to pass through, resulting in wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.
Q: Is there a cure for asthma?
A: No, there is no cure for asthma. There are treatments such as different kinds of medicines to help people with asthma. There are also things that people with asthma can do to help themselves to keep their asthma from getting worse.
Q: What are some risk factors for developing asthma?
A: Some risk factors for developing asthma include genetics, epigenetics (changes in how a gene acts), socioeconomic status (SES), race/ethnicity, access to medical care, personal beliefs, and dietary habits.
Q: How does SES affect someone's chances of getting asthmas?
A: People of lower socioeconomic status suffer higher rates of asthma, have worse outcomes, and also have higher asthma-related death rates than people of higher economic status.
Q: Can an asthmatic attack be fatal?
A: Yes, an asthmatic attack can be a medical emergency because they can be fatal (cause a person to die).
Q: Are epigenetic changes inherited?
A: Yes, epigenetic changes may also be inherited from one or both parents. They may happen when a baby is still growing inside its mother or during childhood.
