Asthma makes breathing difficult. It’s a long-lasting lung disease and the most common long-lasting disease in children. In fact, nearly 7% of kids in Texas - more than 492,000 - have asthma.1 Currently, there isn’t a cure, but asthma can be managed so that people with asthma can lead normal lives.
An asthma attack occurs when something - a trigger - bothers the lungs and makes it hard for the person to breathe. A few asthma triggers are smoke, pollen, and even pets. Asthma can cause wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing.
1Center for Health Statistics. Texas Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Austin, Texas: Texas Department of State Health Services, 2020.