What is Asthma & How is it caused? Asthma is a disease affecting the airways that carry air in and out of your lungs. It is a chronic disease in which a person's airways become inflamed, narrow and swell making it difficult to breathe. The muscles around the inflamed airways get irritated causing them to contract (squeeze) which leads to narrowing of the airways. It becomes difficult for air to get in and out through these narrowed airways in turn leading to wheezing and breathlessness. The inflammation of airways also causes the mucous lining of the airways to make extra mucus which causes cough and further irritation of the airways, this is called Asthma Attack. An asthma attack may be triggered due to several factors like allergies, stress, obesity and infections. It is also believed that sinusitis can also trigger an asthma attack. The people who suffer from this condition are said to be Asthmatic.