What Happens In An Asthma Attack?

When asthma causes breathing problems, the breathing problems are called asthma attacks or episodes of asthma.

During an asthma attack, three major changes that can take place in the lungs include:

• Cells in the air tubes make more mucus than normal. This mucus is very thick and sticky, and tends to clog up the tubes.
• Cells in the airways get inflamed, causing the air tubes to swell.
• The muscles around the air tubes tighten.

These changes cause the air tubes to narrow which makes it hard to breathe.