ASTHMA

Asthma, also known as Reactive Airway Disease is a chronic disease that renders it hard to breathe. At its most terrible, asthma can be fatal. Case in point, in 2003, asthma took the lives of 287 Canadians. Asthma can't be cured, but it can be managed. With appropriate treatment, people with asthma can lead ordinary, active lives.
Asthmatic people have airways (breathing passages) that are extra sensitive. When they are around certain things, the ultra-sensitive airways can become:
Red and swollen, as the airways get inflamed inside and fill up with mucus. The swelling and mucus make the airways more constricted, so it's more difficult for the air to pass through.
"twitchy" and go into seizures. The muscles around the airways press together and constrict. This causes the airways to tighten, leaving less space for the air to pass through.The more red and inflamed the airways are, the more “twitchy” they become. Several different things can activate asthma symptoms. Every person with asthma has hi/her own group of asthma inducers and asthma activators. Asthma inducers are things one is allergic to that are breathed, for example, pollen or dust. Asthma activators are things that trigger asthma like smoke or cold air.