Asthma is a chronic disease  where the lung airways (bronchi) are inflamed.  This causes the airways to narrow.  An asthma attack is a when the symptoms become much worse, the smooth muscle cells in the airways constrict and are swollen, and breathing is difficult.

Asthma is similar to several other inflammatory diseases of the lung, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

This section is about asthma and how allergies affect asthma.

The cause of asthma is not knows, although there are some good guesses as to what might cause it.

For anyone who has asthma, symptoms can be triggered by a variety of factors, including allergens.

The articles in this section explain asthma, the connection to allergies, and how to manage allergies and asthma symptoms.

This article will explain what pollen is, where it comes from, and how it relates to allergies.

Asthma is strongly linked to environmental irritants and allergens. It is often triggered by physical exertion.

Typical asthma triggers include smoke (tobacco, wood fires etc.), chemicals, pollen, dust and dust mites, mold, pet dander and cockroaches.

Here are hidden asthma factors that no one is talking about: wheat and gluten.

These foods are probably not direct asthma triggers for most people.

A surprising number of people may be experiencing asthma from wheat and gluten, but indirectly.