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Is your asthma giving you problems at school, or with your friends and family?

Asthma dictionary

If there are any asthma-related words that you don't understand let us know and we will add them to the dictionary.

Accuhaler: A type of inhaler containing a dry powder that you breathe in. There are lots of different kinds of inhalers to choose from. It’s important that you feel comfortable using your inhalers.
Aerosol inhaler: A type of inhaler that is in a spray form. They can be tricky to take properly so a spacer can help you get more of your medicine. There are lots of different kinds of inhalers to choose from. It’s important that you feel comfortable using your inhalers.
Airways: The small tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. People with asthma have airways that are almost always red and sensitive (inflamed).
Allergic conditions: Asthma, hay fever and eczema are all allergic conditions. No one is sure why some people develop these conditions, but they often run in the family.
Asthma: A condition that makes it harder to breathe. It affects the tiny tubes in your lungs called airways that carry air in and out of your body. If you have asthma your airways are almost always inflamed (red and swollen). When these inflamed airways come into contact with an asthma trigger (things like furry or feathery animals, cigarette smoke or pollen) they become narrower and often produce sticky mucus, making it harder to breathe.
Asthma attacks: An asthma attack is if any of the following happens: your reliever does not help symptoms; your symptoms are getting worse (cough. Breathlessness, wheeze, or tight chest); you are too breathless to speak, eat or sleep. Most people find that asthma attacks are the result of gradual worsening of symptoms over a few days. If your asthma symptoms are getting worse do not ignore them! Make sure you know what to do if you have an asthma attack.
Asthma review: You should see your doctor or nurse every six to twelve months to talk about your asthma at an asthma review. They will ask you about your asthma symptoms and also check your medicine is working well for you. Remember, you can make an appointment with them any time to discuss any concerns you may have about your asthma.
Asthma symptoms: The usual symptoms of asthma (how your body feels) are coughing, wheezing or a whistling noise in the chest, getting short of breath or a tight feeling in the chest. Not everyone will get all these symptoms. Some people experience them from time to time; a few people may experience these symptoms all the time.
Autohaler: A type of inhaler that is in a spray form. There are lots of different kinds of inhalers to choose from. It’s important that you feel comfortable using your inhalers.
Colds and viruses (including flu): These are very common triggers for asthma and almost impossible to avoid! If you use a preventer inhaler (usually brown) you can get an injection from the doctor to stop you catching flu in winter.
Combined preventer/reliever inhaler: Combination inhalers contain both a long-acting reliever and preventer medicine. They are useful as they reduce the number of inhalers that you have to take. There are lots of different kinds of inhalers to choose from. It’s important that you feel comfortable using your inhalers.
Eczema: A skin condition that is treated with special creams and sometimes tablets if it’s very bad. It’s quite common to have eczema as well as asthma as both are allergic conditions.
Exercise: This can trigger asthma symptoms in some people. However, exercise is good for everyone, including people with asthma. If your asthma is well controlled, you should be able to join in, have fun and keep fit. If exercise is a trigger for your asthma, use your reliever inhaler immediately before you start exercising and keep it close at hand at all times.
Feathers: These are a common trigger of asthma symptoms. Having non-feather duvets and pillows can help if feathers trigger your asthma.
Furry or feathery animals: People with asthma may find the saliva, flakes of skin, fur or wee of animals triggers their asthma symptoms. If furry or feathery animals trigger your asthma it’s best not to have one as a pet!
Hay fever: People with hay fever are allergic to pollen. It’s quite common to have hay fever as well as asthma and you may need to take other medicines for this. If you have hay fever and asthma it’s a good idea to get an asthma review in the summer months.
House-dust mites: Many people with asthma are sensitive to the droppings of house-dust mites. These are tiny bugs that live in the dust that builds up around the house, in carpets, your bedding, soft furnishings and soft toys.
Inhalers: The most effective way of taking your asthma treatment, as the medicine gets straight into your lungs. Inhalers can be in a aerosol form (spray) or dry powder form. If you use a spray inhaler, using a spacer device with your inhaler can also help.

It’s important that you feel comfortable using your inhalers. There are lots of different kinds of inhalers to choose from. If you're having difficulties, don't be afraid to ask your doctor or nurse to show you again how to use them, or, if that doesn't work, ask if you can try other kinds of inhaler.
Long-acting reliever: These go on working for a longer time than your normal relievers and usually need to be taken twice a day to have an effect.
Metered dose inhaler (MDI)

A type of aerosol inhaler that is in a spray form. They can be tricky to take properly so a spacer can help you get more of your medicine into your lungs. There are lots of different kinds of inhalers to choose from. It’s important that you feel comfortable using your inhalers.
Mucus: A sticky substance that is produced by the airways and builds up making it harder to breathe.
Nebulisers: These are used to give high doses of reliever medicine in an emergency situation, eg in a hospital or a doctor's surgery. The machine creates a mist of medicine, which you can then breathe in through a mask or mouthpiece.
Peak flow meter: This is a small plastic tube that you blow into to give a measurement. You can keep a record of your daily scores to see how well your asthma is controlled. Ask your doctor or nurse if a peak flow meter would be useful to monitor your asthma.
Personal Asthma Action Plan: Everyone with asthma should have a written personal asthma action plan. Your doctor or nurse should talk through this with you at your asthma review. The plan includes details about what medicine you should take, how much and when and how to tell when you are getting worse and what you should do about it.
Pollen: These are tiny, dust-like grains that are given off into the air by some trees, grasses and flowers and can be breathed in. People with asthma may find pollen triggers their asthma symptoms. If pollen is a trigger for you, it’s best to see your doctor or nurse before the pollen season (spring and summer) in case you need to change your medicines.
Preventers: These usually come in brown, white, red or orange inhalers. Sometimes they come in a tablet form. A preventer inhaler stops your airways being so sensitive to your asthma triggers and reduces the risk of an asthma attack. It works over a period of time and needs to be taken every day, even if you are feeling well. Although the preventer will make you feel better, it does not make your asthma go away altogether. So you will need to take your preventer regularly to keep your lungs healthy and strong.
Relievers: Everyone with asthma should have a reliever inhaler. When you get asthma symptoms a reliever inhaler (usually blue) will help to relax the muscles around your airways to make it easier to breathe again. You should keep your reliever inhaler with you all the time - then you can take a puff whenever you have difficulty with your breathing.
Smoking: This can trigger asthma symptoms in some people. Smoking is dangerous for anyone, but particularly for people with asthma. If you smoke (or breathe in other people’s smoke) your airways narrow and you increase the risk of an asthma attack. Smoking also makes some asthma medicines work less well. While having asthma by itself won't damage your airways permanently, smoking will. This is because sticky deposits of tar build up in your airways making them narrower and less effective.
Spacer: A plastic or metal container with a mouthpiece at one end and a hole for an aerosol inhaler at the other. When you press your inhaler the fine spray of medicine is trapped inside the spacer ready for you to breathe it in. Spacers are important because they help to deliver more medicine straight to your lungs. They can come in different shapes and sizes.
Steroid tablets: If your asthma gets really bad and your usual medicines are not working, your doctor might give you a short course of steroid tablets (usually three to five days). These work quickly and powerfully to help calm down your inflamed airways and get your asthma under control. You should not have any side effects from an occasional course of steroid tablets.
Thunderstorms: These can release a large quantity of pollen into the air and trigger asthma attacks.
Trigger: Anything that irritates the airways and causes the symptoms of asthma to appear. Common triggers include colds or flu, cigarette smoke, exercise and allergies to things like pollen, house-dust mites, or furry or feathery animals. Everyone’s asthma is different and you will probably have several triggers.
Turbohaler: A type of inhaler containing a dry powder that you breathe in. There are lots of different kinds of inhalers to choose from. It’s important that you feel comfortable using your inhalers.
Weather: A sudden change in temperature, cold air, windy days, poor air quality and hot humid days are all triggers for asthma.