Asthma is a breathing disorder of the lungs in which the airways develop chronic inflammation, making breathing very difficult. Asthma has a very high prevalence rate in the country with approximately 27 million individuals being affected with the disorder. In asthma, the lining of the airways gets obstructed due to deposition and subsequent tightening of the mucus. This deposition adversely affects the air movement in the lungs and causes the classic symptoms of asthma, like coughing and tightness in the chest region.

Symptoms of asthma
Common asthma symptoms are wheezing, coughing during the night or during physical exercise, shortness in breath, and weakness.

Causes of asthma
A few important triggering factors and causes of asthma are described below:

• Allergy
  It has been reported that 75% of adults between 20-40 years of age also suffer from allergy. It shows that there is a link between asthma and allergic reactions.
• Smoking
  Smoking is directly linked with higher incidences of asthma. Moreover, its detrimental effects on airways augment the symptoms of asthma, such as shortness of breathing, excessive mucus production, and higher chances of infections.
• Obesity
  There are pieces of evidence that chronic inflammatory condition found in obesity is associated with asthma.
• Environmental factors
  Air pollution is one of the most important triggering factors for asthma attacks. Several gaseous irritants and environmental factors such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, lower temperatures, and high humidity aggravate asthma. Sulfur dioxide causes constriction of airways. Heavy pollution also triggers the formation of smog leading to the release of ozone. Ozone causes chest pain and breathing issues.
• Stress
  Asthma attacks increase during stressful conditions. Heightened emotional response such as grief and laughter may also cause asthma attacks.
• Atopy
  An atopy asthma attack is one of the most common types of asthma. It develops due to excessive production of IgE antibodies whose synthesis is triggered when an environmental allergen stimulates the immune system, leading to an asthma attack.

Diagnosis of asthma
Diagnosis of asthma involves analysis of medical history, physical examination and breathing tests results.

• Physical exam
  A physical examination will involve the complete observation of the upper respiratory tract, skin, and chest region. A doctor will try to evaluate the causes behind breathing difficulties, wheezing, and abnormal sound during breathing. Wheezing is an important indication of airway obstruction and asthma.
• Asthma tests
  Breathing tests are routinely performed for an asthma diagnosis. Spirometry, a non-invasive technique, is generally employed for evaluation of the health of the lungs. During spirometry, a person is asked to do deep breathing and forceful exhalation. Two key parameters forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume are measured and the results are compared with the standard values for a healthy person.

Asthma is an inflammatory condition of the airways that causes swelling of the airways leading to great discomfort while breathing . The severity and symptoms of asthma vary greatly depending upon age and environmental triggers. So, getting asthma diagnosed at the earliest can prevent the worsening of the condition.