Asthma

Asthma, a chronic disorder of thelungs in which inflamed airways are prone to

constrict, causing episodes of wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, and
breathlessness that range in severity from mild to life-threatening. Asthma
affects about 710 percent of children and about 79 percent of adults, and
hence it is a significant public health issue in countries worldwide. However,
the majority of deaths from the disorder occur in underdeveloped countries.
The improvement of care for asthma sufferers in these countries is one of the
aims of the Global Initiative for Asthma, which since 1998 has
sponsored World Asthma Day, an annual event occurring on the first Tuesday
in May that is intended to raise awareness of the disorder.