March 15, 2019

Basically, asthma decreases the space through which air can flow, causing discomfort and reducing the amount of air that can get into and out of the lungs. Think of what happens when you pinch a plastic straw and then try to drink water through it. You have to work harder and likely aren’t able to get as much liquid in each sip.

Now imagine having to work that hard for a single breath. It can be pretty scary, especially when it happens to a child. What’s more, even when people with asthma are otherwise “feeling fine,” the inflammation and hyperreactivity of the airways continues, eventually leading to persistent narrowing and remodeling of those airways.²

In other words, the straw gets smaller and smaller over time as tissue thickens.

Asthma and the airway

In people with asthma, allergens (such as pollen and dust mites) and irritants (such as pollution and cigarette smoke) in the air can trigger a reaction above and beyond what someone without asthma would experience. That reaction is what causes the inflammation and tightening of the airway.

Here’s what airway remodeling looks like:²