If a person is suffering from unusual breathing difficulties for a longer than expected period of time, chances are, the person is a victim of asthma. Asthma is a chronic disease that causes inflammation of the air passages, which in turn, causes breathing difficulties.

The airways of an asthmatic patient are narrower than usual and lined with excess mucus (a sticky liquid that prevents dust particles from entering the lungs). This causes difficulty in breathing due to reduced space for air to enter. Together with shortness of breath, the patient may also feel pressure and pain in the chest, severe coughing, especially at nights, which clearly indicate that the person is suffering from asthma. The most common symptom of asthma is the asthma cough, which is almost the same as normal cough only lasts longer. It is also the warning signal for an asthmatic patient that an attack maybe on its way.

Although the causes of asthma are not clearly known, symptoms of asthma are noticeably visible most of the times, and can be prevented by simple medications consulted by a doctor. Even then, the best and smartest way would be, to have a regular routine check-up and start prevention even before the symptoms are visible.