What Are the Risks of Asthma?

Asthma causes wheezing, breathing difficulties, chest pain or tightness, and spasmodic coughing that often worsens at night. Asthma may impair individuals’ ability to exercise, to engage in outdoor activities, to have pets, or to tolerate environments with smoke, dust, or mold. Although asthma can be controlled with medications, asthma attacks vary in intensity from mild to life threatening. Over the past several decades, the number of asthma attacks that result in death has increased dramatically.