Asthma is a chronic disease that affects the lungs and the airways leading to them. It affects over 14 million people. Of them, 4.8 million are children. Asthma is the most common chronic disease in children in the United States. Symptoms of asthma include coughing, breathlessness, wheezing and chest tightness. The rate of new cases of asthma is growing, especially in cities and among preschoolers.

Asthma can be treated with medications that open up the airways and reduce inflammation. Severe asthma attacks can be fatal, even among people who have relatively mild asthma as a rule. It is important that people with asthma be seen by their doctors on a regular basis and have a plan of action for what to do should an attack begin. Taking medication as prescribed can control this chronic condition and taking medication for severe flare-ups when they occur can greatly reduce the risk of serious complications. Understanding the role of the different medications prescribed for asthma and taking those medicines as directed makes this common condition manageable.

Some excellent sources of information on asthma include:

• The CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/health/asthma.htm

• The National Institutes of Health: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asthma.html

• The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Asthma/Asthma_WhatIs.html

• Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America: http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=4

• In the Finger Lakes area, there is an Asthma Coalition. It also has a website. It is called the Regional Community Asthma Network. Visit them at http://www.rcanasthma.org/