In brief
A condition in which the muscles around the airways tighten and the airway lining swells, narrowing the airways and making it hard to breathe.
- Needing your reliever more than two days a week may mean your asthma is not well controlled, according to Asthma Australia.
- About 4 in 5 people with asthma also have hay fever, according to healthdirect.
- NSAIDs, including aspirin, can trigger asthma in some people.
How it works
Symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, a tight feeling in the chest and coughing, and they are often worse at night, in the early morning or during exercise. Common triggers include colds and flu, cigarette smoke, allergy triggers such as house dust mites, pollens, pets and moulds, cold air or changes in the weather, exercise and some medications.
Asthma tends to run in families, and people with asthma commonly have eczema or hay fever too. Relievers act quickly to relax the muscles around the airways, while preventers, taken every day, slowly make the airways less sensitive to triggers. A written asthma action plan from your GP helps you recognise worsening asthma and know what to do.
Looking after it
In an emergency, for example if someone finds it very hard to breathe or their lips are turning blue, call triple zero (000) and ask for an ambulance. Start asthma first aid, giving 4 puffs of reliever every 4 minutes until help arrives.
Connections
7 connections on the map. Select a topic to read its page.
Asthma is linked with
In asthma the airway lining swells and becomes inflamed.
Source: Better Health Channel (Victorian Government), Asthma
People with eczema commonly also have asthma, and people with asthma commonly have eczema or hay fever.
Sources: healthdirect Australia, Eczema; Better Health Channel (Victorian Government), Asthma
Asthma can be worsened by
Cigarette smoke is a common asthma trigger.
Source: Better Health Channel (Victorian Government), Asthma
- Hay fever (allergic rhinitis) Supported
Untreated hay fever may increase the risk of developing asthma or make asthma harder to control, and about 4 in 5 people with asthma also have hay fever.
Asthma affects
Asthma makes the muscles in the airways tighten and the airway lining swell, narrowing the airways and making it hard to breathe.
Source: Better Health Channel (Victorian Government), Asthma
Asthma can cause
Asthma symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, a tight chest and coughing.
Source: Better Health Channel (Victorian Government), Asthma
Asthma can raise
Besides smoking, healthdirect lists asthma among the causes of COPD.
Source: healthdirect Australia, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Medicines and supplements
General education only. Never start, stop or change a medicine without your prescriber.
Sources
Each connection above names its own source. See every source AskBioMap uses.
Summarised from the Better Health Channel, Asthma Australia and healthdirect. Sources read on 13 and 19 October 2026. General education only, not medical advice. Spotted a mistake? Please tell us through the HuBu-Intel contact page.