Articles In This Section
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Definition: Pollen
Pollen is a fine powder produced by certain plants when they reproduce.
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Definition: Dust Mites
Dust mites are microscopic bugs that live in household dust.
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Definition: Asthma Action Plan
An asthma action plan is a set of individualized written instructions, designed with a doctor, that detail how a person with asthma should manage his or her asthma at home.
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Definition: Animal Dander
All warm-blooded animals shed tiny flakes from their skin, fur, or feathers called dander (it's like dandruff in humans, but it's much harder to see).
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Definition: Asthma Flare-Up
When symptoms of asthma, such as wheezing, coughing, or shortness of breath, become more severe, more frequent, or both, it's known as an asthma flare-up.
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Definition: Wheezing
A wheeze is a high-pitched whistling sound made when air flows through narrowed airways in the lungs, usually when people breathe out.
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Definition: Triggers
During normal breathing, the airways to the lungs are fully open, allowing air to easily move in and out. In a person with asthma, the airways are inflamed and overly sensitive to certain things that wouldn't usually bother others. These are called triggers.
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Definition: Sulfites
Sulfites are a kind of food preservative that can cause breathing difficulties in some people with asthma.
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Definition: Spirometer
A spirometer is an instrument that measures how well your child's lungs are working.
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Definition: Spacer
People with asthma often use inhalers (also called puffers) to take their medications. A spacer (also sometimes called a holding chamber) is a device that makes using an inhaler easier and more effective.
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Definition: Quick-Relief Medicines
Quick-relief medicines are used by people with asthma to relieve asthma symptoms or to treat an asthma flare-up.
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Definition: Retractions
Retractions are a sign that someone is working hard to breathe.
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Definition: Peak Flow Meter
A peak flow meter is a portable handheld device used to measure how well a person can blow air out of the lungs.
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Definition: Nebulizer
A nebulizer is an electrically powered machine that turns liquid medication into a mist so that it can be breathed directly into the lungs through a face mask or mouthpiece.
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Definition: Lung Function Tests
Lung (or pulmonary) function tests are a variety of tests that measure how well a person breathes.
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Definition: Inhaler
Inhalers are portable handheld devices that deliver medication - in a form that the person breathes in - directly to the lungs, unlike a pill or liquid that's swallowed.
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Definition: Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy, also known as allergy shots, is a form of treatment used for certain allergies.
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Definition: Immunoglobulin (IgE)
Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a type of protein in the body called an antibody.
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Definition: Histamine
Histamine - a chemical found in some of the body's cells - causes many of the symptoms of allergies, such as a runny nose or sneezing.
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Definition: Exercise-Induced Asthma
Some people have exercise-induced asthma, which means that their asthma symptoms (such as coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath) are triggered by exercise or physical activity.
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Definition: Cough
Cough is a common symptom in people who have asthma, although it can occur for many other reasons.
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Definition: Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are medications commonly used by people with asthma.
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Definition: Long-Term Control Medicines
Many people with asthma need to take medicine every day to control their asthma and prevent symptoms.
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Definition: Bronchial Tubes
When a person breathes, air taken in through the nose or mouth then goes into the trachea (windpipe). From there, it passes through the bronchial tubes, into the lungs, and finally back out again. People with asthma have bronchial tubes that are inflamed.
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Definition: Bronchodilator
Bronchodilators are medications commonly used by people with asthma.
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Definition: Bronchoconstriction
Along with inflammation of the airways, bronchoconstriction leads to symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.
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Definition: Allergy-Triggered Asthma
Allergy-triggered asthma is a type of asthma commonly seen in children.
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Definition: Allergen
An allergen is a substance that's capable of producing an allergic reaction.
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Definition: Airway Obstruction
When we breathe, air passes through our airways (the tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs) to get to our lungs.
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Definition: Asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung disorder that causes airways (the tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs) to become inflamed, which means that they swell and produce lots of thick mucus.