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Article: Asthma; Overview.
- Article from:
- NWHRC Health Center - Asthma
- Article date:
- September 4, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 National Women's Health Resource Center. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Asthma is a lung condition that makes the primary airways-known as the bronchi-in the lungs swollen and inflamed all of the time. People who have asthma are more sensitive than other people to things inhaled from the environment, known as triggers. These triggers make the muscles in an asthma sufferer's lungs tighten, constricting the air passages and making breathing difficult. In addition, cells in the lungs produce more mucus in response to a trigger. The mucus clogs up the bronchial tubes, which contributes to breathing problems. The airways also swell and become inflamed with white blood cells. When the lungs react to a trigger, what's known as an "asthma attack" ...