Asthma
Asthma is a serious, chronic lung disease that causes a person’s airways to swell, making it difficult to breathe. The main symptoms of asthma include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Acute asthma episodes or “asthma attacks” occur when something—a “trigger”—bothers the lungs, such as cigarette or wildfire smoke, cleaning products, exercise, mold, infections, and more. During asthma attacks, the airways swell, produce extra mucus, and the muscles around the airways tighten, making it hard to breathe, which can be life-threatening. A list of common triggers and ways to manage them can be found here.
Asthma affects 1 in 7 Californians and is different for everyone. People with asthma can live happy, active lives when they work with their doctor to manage their symptoms and medications, develop an asthma action plan, and take steps to avoid their asthma triggers.
What is Asthma?
from The American Lung Association
En español: https://youtu.be/0a7zkfbGxxg?si=BOlTjc5UeI88-Psx
Asthma in Solano County
According to data from the California Department of Public Health, 22.3% of Solano County residents have been diagnosed with asthma placing Solano County in the Top 10 of California counties affected by asthma. Asthma is most common in childhood but also effects adults. In Solano County, asthma is more common in adults than in children with 26.9%—nearly 1 in 3—adults having been diagnosed with asthma.
From the California Asthma Dashboard, California Department of Public Health
Links and Resources
CDC – About Asthma