What happens during an asthma attack?
Asthma blocks or narrows the airways, causing shortness of breath and making it difficult to breathe. This is known as an acute asthma episode (also called an attack, flare-up, or exacerbation). Acute asthma episodes can occur rarely or frequently and be mild to severe. Generally, you can take care of symptoms at home with an asthma action plan, although a severe acute episode may require emergency treatment and on rare occasions can be fatal.
