UCSF PEHSU: Pediatric Environmental Health Speciality Unit

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by episodic and reversible symptoms of acute airflow obstruction (narrowing of the airways that makes it difficult to breathe). [1] People with asthma can suffer from symptoms ranging from wheezing, cough and a sensation of tightness in the chest, to a severe inability to expel air from the lungs, suffocation and death. Although asthma can begin at any age, it most commonly occurs in childhood. In some cases, as children grow older, their asthma becomes less severe or resolves altogether. People who had asthma as children sometimes experience a recurrence of the disease later in life. Asthma is treated with a combination of regular anti-inflammatory medications (‘controller medications’), and bronchodilators (‘rescue medications’) to help in the event of an acute attack.