Asthma (AZ-muh) is a chronic disease of the lung airways. With asthma, the airways are inflamed (swollen) and react easily to certain “triggers,” like smoke or dust mites. When the inflamed airways react, they get narrow and make it hard to breathe.

Common asthma symptoms are:

• Coughing, especially at night
• Wheezing — a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe
• Shortness of breath (feeling like you can’t ...