[Skip to Content]

Asthma Glossary

Medically reviewed by: KidsHealth Medical Experts

A

Airway Obstruction (AIR-way ub-STRUK-shun): When something keeps the air from moving in and out of the airways in your lungs, it's called an airway obstruction. When someone has asthma, the airways may become obstructed, or blocked, because the airways are swollen, narrow, and clogged with thick mucus. Obstructed airways can cause coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.

Airways: The airways in your lungs are like tubes or straws. The air flows in and out of them so you can breathe. They're also called bronchial (say: BRONG-kee-ul) tubes or bronchi (say: BRONG-kye).

Allergen (al-ur-jun): An allergen is a medical word for anything that causes an allergic reaction. Allergens can be many different things, including grass, dust mites, or animal dander — the stuff that flakes off dogs' and cats' skin.

Allergy Shots and Immunotherapy (ih-myoo-noh-THER-uh-pee): If you sneeze a lot because you're allergic to something, doctors might give you allergy shots, also called immunotherapy. This can also be helpful for some people whose asthma symptoms are caused by allergies. The shots gradually help your body not to be allergic to something anymore. Usually, though, you need to get shots for months or sometimes even years to get rid of your allergies. But for many kids, it's worth it because they feel so much better!

Allergy-Triggered Asthma: Most kids who have asthma also have some kind of allergy, too. With allergy-triggered asthma, someone's asthma symptoms (like coughing and trouble breathing) occur when the person comes in contact with an allergen. But not all asthma is caused by allergies, and not all allergies cause symptoms of asthma.

Animal Dander: All warm-blooded animals shed tiny flakes from their skin. This is called dander. (It's like dandruff in humans but much harder to see.) When someone is allergic to animals, it could be dander that's causing the problem. Pet dander can be trouble for people who have asthma because, if they're allergic to it, it can make breathing problems worse.

Asthma (AZ-muh): Someone with asthma can have trouble breathing because of problems with the airways, the tubes that carry air into the lungs. The airways can get irritated, swollen (puffed up), and narrow (like a pinched straw), which makes it hard to breathe. Many things can trigger an asthma flare, like viruses, allergies, smoke, and even exercise. Someone who has asthma may need to see a doctor regularly and carry special medicine to make it easier to breathe.

top

B

Bronchial Tubes (BRONG-kee-ul toobz): When a person breathes, air comes in through the nose or mouth and then goes into the trachea (windpipe). From there, it passes through the bronchial tubes, which are in the lungs. These tubes, or airways, let air in and out of your lungs, so you can breathe. You can call them by their nickname: bronchi (say: BRONG-kye). The bronchial tubes branch into smaller tubes called bronchioles (say: BRONG-kee-ohlz).

Bronchoconstriction (brong-ko-kun-STRIK-shun): Doesn't this sound like a cross between a dinosaur and a snake? Actually, bronchoconstriction affects the airways in a person's lungs. You can think of airways like straws or tubes. They let air flow in and out so you can breathe. These airways have muscles, but not the kind you flex! In bronchoconstriction, the muscles surrounding the airways contract, or tighten. This narrows the airways so there's less space inside for air to get through. Bronchoconstriction happens to people who have asthma, but asthma medicines can help relax the muscles in the airways and make breathing easier.

Bronchodilator (brong-ko-DY-lay-ter): A person with asthma may need to take a medicine called a bronchodilator. This type of medicine dilates (a fancy word for opens) the airways, or bronchial tubes. This usually means using an inhaler, which is a plastic tube that holds a container of medicine. You may have seen a friend or someone in school using an inhaler, which is held up to the mouth and breathed into the lungs.

top

C

Corticosteroids (kor-tih-ko-STAIR-oydz): Corticosteroids are an important kind of asthma medicine. They are a type of long-term control medicine. Controllers keep the airways in the lungs open and clear so you can breathe.

Cough: You cough, but why? A cough is a reflex that helps your body clear your throat and lungs. A cough is a common symptom in people who have asthma. But you might cough for many other reasons, like when you have a cold. Someone who has asthma may cough because the airways are irritated (narrow, swollen, and filled with mucus). For some kids, coughing may be the only clue that they have asthma. The coughing may happen only at night or while they exercise.

top

D

Dust Mites: Dust mites are teeny, tiny bugs that live in household dust. You have to be pretty small to live in dust — and they are. You actually need a microscope to see them! So if you can't even see them, what's the problem? Well, people can be allergic to dust mites and their droppings. This stuff gets into the air and then can get into someone's lungs. Dust mites don't bother most people, but they can make breathing problems worse for someone with asthma. It can be tough to get rid of dust mites because they get into soft places like pillows, blankets, mattresses, and stuffed animals.

top

E

Exercise-Induced Asthma (EK-sur-syze in-DOOSED AZ-muh): Some people have asthma symptoms (such as coughing, wheezing, or trouble breathing) only when they're doing sports or being active. Being active may be the only cause of their breathing trouble, or it can be just one trigger that causes problems. Kids who have this kind of asthma need to see a doctor and find out how to treat it. But once they do, they usually can be active and do sports like anyone else. In fact, some Olympic athletes have exercise-induced asthma that they've learned to control.

top

H

Histamine (HISS-tuh-meen): Histamine is a substance that the body releases during an allergic reaction. It can cause allergy symptoms that affect the eyes, nose, throat, skin, digestive system, and lungs. When histamine affects the lungs, a person who has asthma may have breathing problems.

top

I

Inhaler (in-HAY-lur): An inhaler is a device that can get asthma medicine directly into a person's lungs. The medicine is a mist, spray, or powder that the person breathes in (inhales). In the lungs, this medicine can go right to work, opening narrowed airways (breathing tubes). When the tubes are open and clear, the person can breathe more easily, without as much coughing or wheezing. Using an inhaler takes a little practice, but many kids become experts at it. Spacers can make inhalers easier to use.

top

L

Long-Term Control Medicines (also called Controller or Maintenance Medicines): Many kids with asthma need to take medicine every day to control their asthma. There's a good reason why should they take medicine even when they're feeling fine: Long-term control medicines work by keeping the airways in the lungs open and clear, which makes it easier to breathe. These medicines work slow, not fast. It may take days or weeks for them to do their job. That's why a person with asthma needs to take them regularly. That gives these medicines a chance to get working, so they can keep airways from getting swollen and narrow.

Lung Function Test: How well do your lungs work? In other words, how well are you breathing? A lung function (say: FUNK-shun) test can help your doctor answer that question. For one of them, called spirometry, you take a breath and then blow the air out as fast and long as you can. These tests can help a doctor find out if someone has asthma.

top

N

Nebulizer (NEH-byuh-lye-zur): A nebulizer may sound like a space gun, but you don't have to be on a spaceship to use it. A nebulizer is a machine that turns liquid medicine into a mist that can be breathed in. So it's a great way for people with asthma to get their medicine right where they need it — in their lungs. Lots of kids with asthma use nebulizers to help them breathe easier.

top

P

Peak Flow Meter (PEEK FLO MEE-tur): If you have asthma, your doctor might ask you to use a peak flow meter to check how well your lungs are working. To use it, a person blows into it and then checks the reading to see if the airways have narrowed. It's portable, it doesn't need to be plugged in, and it can be used at home.

Pollen: Pollen is a fine powder produced by certain plants. During the spring, summer, and fall seasons, it is released into the air and picked up by the wind. The wind carries it to other plants so they can make seeds. But while it's traveling in the wind, pollen gets into the air we breathe. Many people are allergic to it, including people who have asthma. When they breathe in pollen, it can trigger their asthma symptoms.

top

R

Rescue Medicines (also called Fast-Acting or Quick-Relief Medicines): Quick-relief medicines are a type of asthma medicine that works quickly. They "rescue" the person from wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Most of these medicines are inhaled and work by relaxing the muscle around the airways. When the muscles are relaxed, the airways are wider, which makes it easier to move air in and out of the lungs. But quick-relief medicines won't prevent future asthma flare-ups and may not be enough to keep someone's asthma under control. Long-term control medicine, taken daily, is often needed to keep the airways from getting swollen and narrow in the first place.

Retractions: Retractions are when the areas below the ribs, between the ribs, and in the neck sink in each time someone inhales (breathes in). They're a sign that the person is working hard to breathe. Normally, when you take a breath, your diaphragm and the muscles around your ribs create a vacuum that pulls air into your lungs (kind of like sucking liquid through a straw). But if someone has trouble breathing, extra muscles kick into action. The use of these muscles results in retractions, which can be seen as the person tries to inhale.

top

S

Spacer: A spacer makes it easier to use an inhaler. It attaches to the inhaler on one end and to a mouthpiece or mask on the other end. When the asthma medicine from the inhaler is released, it stays in the spacer until the person is ready for it. If someone uses an inhaler alone, they need to inhale (breathe in) a split-second after releasing the spray medicine. If they don't inhale at the right moment, the medicine may end up in their mouth instead of in the lungs, where it's needed. So most kids who use an inhaler use a spacer with it.

Spirometer (spy-RAH-meh-tur): A spirometer is an instrument that measures how well the lungs are working. To use one, a person breathes into a mouthpiece. The doctor may ask the person to breathe normally or to take a deep breath and blow the air quickly out of the lungs, like blowing up a balloon. A recording device measures the amount of air inhaled or exhaled and how much time each breath took. These measurements can help the doctor find out if the person has a lung problem, like asthma.

Sulfites: Sulfites are food preservatives that can cause breathing problems in some people with asthma. For them, sulfites are considered an asthma trigger because they bring on symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath. Sulfites are used in many food products to prevent spoilage, such as wine, beer, dried fruits and vegetables, shrimp, and pickles.

top

T

Triggers: In asthma, a trigger is anything that brings on symptoms like coughing, wheezing, and trouble breathing. Triggers can vary from person to person and from season to season. They also can change as a kid grows older. Common triggers include colds, smoke, cold air, exercise, and anything that causes an allergic reaction, such as dust mites or pollen.

top

W

Wheezing: Wheezing is the whistling sound air makes when the breathing tubes are narrowed. This is what happens during an asthma flare-up. If the breathing tubes get too narrow, a person may have trouble breathing. Sometimes you can hear someone wheeze, but usually a doctor needs to listen to a person's lungs with a stethoscope to hear it.

top

Medically reviewed by: KidsHealth Medical Experts