Asthma is a condition that can make it hard to breathe. Asthma does not always cause symptoms. But when symptoms occur, they can be scary. Asthma attacks happen when the airways in the lungs become narrow and inflamed. Asthma can run in families.  

Typical symptoms of asthma include:  wheezing, coughing, tight feeling in the chest, and shortness of breath.  Asthma is treated with different types of medicines including inhalers, liquids, or pills. Your doctor will prescribe medicine based on the frequency and severity of symptoms.

Bronchitis is the inflammation of the lining of the airways, or bronchial tubes. When your airways are inflamed and/or infected, less air is able to flow to and from the lungs and you cough up heavy mucus or phlegm. There are two types of bronchitis: acute and chronic. Acute bronchitis can accompany a cold and clears up after a week or two.  Chronic bronchitis can persist for years without an underlying disease to explain the cough.

Coughing from time to time helps clear particles and secretions from the lungs and helps to prevent infection. However, sometimes a cough can become a chronic condition. A chronic cough is usually defined as a cough that lasts for eight weeks or longer.

What are the main causes of chronic cough?

The most common causes of chronic cough are postnasal drip, asthma, and acid reflux from the stomach. These three causes are responsible for up to 90 percent of all cases of chronic cough. Less common causes include infections, medications, and lung diseases.

Rhinitis is the medical term describing the reaction that occurs causing nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and itching. Most types of rhinitis are short-termed and caused by temporary inflammation of the sinuses.  The most commong symptoms involved in rhinitis include congestion, runny nose, and irritation of the eyes, ears, or throat.

"Pulmonary hypertension" describes high blood pressure in the arteries of the lungs. Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is one form of pulmonary hypertension. Pulmonary arteries carry blood from your heart to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen to be delivered throughout your body. In PAH, the pulmonary arteries constrict abnormally. This forces your heart to work faster and causes blood pressure within the lungs to rise.

PAH tends to worsen over time and can be life-threatening in some situations. There is no cure for PAH, but several medications are available to treat symptoms.

COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a condition in which the airways in the lungs become broken down and narrowed. Sometimes the air sacs in the lungs are also damaged. As the lungs become more damaged over time, it becomes increasingly difficult to breathe through the narrowed airways (also known as bronchial tubes). When the damage is severe, it may also become difficult to get enough oxygen into the blood and to get rid of excess carbon dioxide. 

These changes all lead to shortness of breath and other symptoms. Unfortunately, the symptoms of COPD cannot be completely eliminated with treatment and the condition usually worsens over time.