An asthma flare-up (or asthma attack) is when asthma symptoms get worse, making kids wheeze, cough, or be short of breath. An asthma flare-up can happen even when asthma is controlled. Asthma flare-ups can be handled, but it's even better if you can prevent them from happening.

Use this printable sheet to help reduce or prevent flare-ups and emergency department visits through day-to-day management of your child's asthma.

Use this weekly diary to record your child's asthma symptoms, peak flows, the amount of medicine taken.

When we breathe, air passes through our airways (the tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs) to get to our lungs.

An allergen is a substance that's capable of producing an allergic reaction.

Allergy-triggered asthma is a type of asthma commonly seen in children.

All warm-blooded animals shed tiny flakes from their skin called dander (it's like dandruff in humans, but it's much harder to see).

Asthma is a chronic lung disorder that causes airways (the tubes that carry air into and out of the lungs) to become inflamed, which means that they swell and produce lots of thick mucus.

When symptoms of asthma, such as wheezing, coughing, or shortness of breath, become more severe, more frequent, or both, it's known as an asthma flare-up.

When a person breathes, air taken in through the nose or mouth then goes into the trachea (windpipe). From there, it passes through the bronchial tubes, into the lungs, and finally back out again. People with asthma have bronchial tubes that are inflamed.

Along with inflammation of the airways, bronchoconstriction leads to symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath.

Bronchodilators are medications commonly used by people with asthma.

Corticosteroids are medications commonly used by people with asthma.

Dust mites are microscopic bugs that live in household dust.

Some people have exercise-induced asthma, which means that their asthma symptoms (such as coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath) are triggered by exercise or physical activity.

Histamine - a chemical found in some of the body's cells - causes many of the symptoms of allergies, such as a runny nose or sneezing.

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a type of protein in the body called an antibody.

Immunotherapy, also known as allergy shots, is a form of treatment used for certain allergies.

Inhalers are portable handheld devices that deliver medication - in a form that the person breathes in - directly to the lungs, unlike a pill or liquid that's swallowed.

Many people with asthma need to take medicine every day to control their asthma and prevent symptoms.

Lung (or pulmonary) function tests are a variety of tests that measure how well a person breathes.

A nebulizer is an electrically powered machine that turns liquid medication into a mist so that it can be breathed directly into the lungs through a face mask or mouthpiece.

Pollen is a fine powder produced by certain plants when they reproduce.

Quick-relief medicines are used by people with asthma to relieve asthma symptoms or to treat an asthma flare-up.

Retractions are a sign that someone is working hard to breathe.

People with asthma often use inhalers (also called puffers) to take their medications. A spacer (also sometimes called a holding chamber) is a device that makes using an inhaler easier and more effective.

A spirometer is an instrument that measures how well your child's lungs are working.

Sulfites are a kind of food preservative that can cause breathing difficulties in some people with asthma.

During normal breathing, the airways to the lungs are fully open, allowing air to easily move in and out. In a person with asthma, the airways are inflamed and overly sensitive to certain things that wouldn't usually bother others. These are called triggers.

A wheeze is a high-pitched whistling sound made when air flows through narrowed airways in the lungs, usually when people breathe out.

A peak flow meter is a portable handheld device used to measure how well a person can blow air out of the lungs.

Use this printable sheet to help reduce or prevent flare-ups and emergency department visits through day-to-day management of your child's asthma.

Use this weekly diary to record your child's asthma symptoms, peak flows, the amount of medicine taken.

An asthma flare-up (or asthma attack) is when asthma symptoms get worse, making kids wheeze, cough, or be short of breath. An asthma flare-up can happen even when asthma is controlled. Asthma flare-ups can be handled, but it's even better if you can prevent them from happening.

Use this printable sheet to help reduce or prevent flare-ups and emergency department visits through day-to-day management of your child's asthma.

Use this weekly diary to record your child's asthma symptoms, peak flows, the amount of medicine taken.