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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes bronchial tubes particularly sensitive to irritants. This is characterized by breathing difficulties.

The symptoms of asthma include:

* Shortness of breath. Asthma sufferers often say they feel as though they can't catch their breath, they feel breathless or out of breath. They feel like you can't get enough air into or out of their lungs.

* A feeling of tightness in the chest. This can feel like someone is sitting on or squeezing your chest.

* Coughing. Coughing in people with asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning, making sleeping difficult.

* Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound when you inhale or exhale.

* Faster or noisy breathing

* Inflammation of the air passages, characterised by eosinophils in the airway wall

* Episodes of wheezy difficulty in breathing

* Rapid and considerable changes in airway obstruction (peak flow variation >= 20%)

* Narrowing of the air passages in the lungs and resulting increased resistance to airflow

* Symptom-free periods

* Frequent allergy occurrence

* Bronchial hyper-responsiveness to non-specific stimuli such as cold air or histamine

* Frequent nocturnal episodes and low morning peak flow values

* Significant reversibility with new steroid drugs

* Significant reversibility with drugs that resemble adrenaline, the beta2 agonists

People with asthma may have:

* Coughing or wheezing when they are near an allergen or irritant

* Asthma symptoms brought on by exercises such as running, biking, or other brisk activity, especially during cold weather

* Frequent coughing, especially at night (this is occasionally the only sign of asthma in a child)

* Wheezing when they have a cold or another illness

* Coughing or wheezing precipitated by prolonged crying or laughing

Not all people suffer all of these symptoms. Additionally, symptoms may vary from one asthma attack to another. Symptoms can also differ in severity. For example, symptoms may be mildly annoying at times and at other times they can be serious enough to demand your immediate attention. Sometimes symptoms can be so serious to the point of being life threatening and require medical attention. Symptoms also differ in frequency. Some asthma sufferers only have symptoms once every few months, others have symptoms weekly, and while other people have daily symptoms. With proper treatment and management, however, most asthma sufferers can expect to endure minimal or no symptoms, and are able to lead normal, active lives.