Are you one of the growing numbers of people being diagnosed with asthma?
More than five million people in the country receive treatment for the disease, half of whom are children, and it currently costs the NHS £1,000 million every year.
Understanding what happens to your body when you suffer an asthma attack is the first stage in living with the condition.
Air supply is carried to the lungs through millimetre-wide tubes, known as bronchioles, which are made up of ring-shaped muscles. Like all muscles, the bronchioles can contract and relax.
When the tiny muscles contract, the tubes narrow making it hard for air to get to the lungs.
If you have asthma you become sensitive to allergens that can trigger the contraction of the bronchioles.
As well as narrowing, the lining of the bronchioles become inflamed in asthma sufferers leading to excess production of sticky mucus which, in turn, clogs the tubes.
These reactions make it very difficult for you to breathe during an asthma attack, but your medication works to relax the muscles and open your airways.
Asthma cannot be cured and it is unknown exactly why people get the disease. Because of this the aim of any treatment is to suppress your symptoms rather than cure you.
Medicine prescribed for asthma sufferers falls into two groups; relievers, which act quickly to relax the muscles of the airways, and preventers which are used regularly and work over a longer period to reduce inflammation.
And while medication is important in the treatment of the disease, how you take care of your wellbeing can make a big difference to the condition.
Learning what triggers your asthma will help you avoid the substances you are allergic to.
Taking your preventative medicine when instructed to do so is important and regular checks using a peak flow meter will help you keep an eye on your condition.
With medication and regular checks most people manage to keep their asthma under control, but knowing how to spot the signs that your asthma is becoming more severe could save your life.
You should seek immediate medical advice if you notice you are using your reliever inhaler more often, if you cough or wheeze when you make physical effort, you wake at night coughing or wheezing or your peak flow meter readings drop.
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