D - I

Dander - dead skin flakes from an animal, like a cat or dog, which cause allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to these types of animals

Dose - how much of a certain medicine to take

Dust mites - microscopic insects that live in beds, blankets, sofas, rugs, stuffed animals, and other places in the home; they are found in everyone's home and produce materials that cause allergy and asthma

ETS - Environmental Tobacco Smoke; it is not considered an allergen, but smoke particles irritate the airways; exposure to smoke can worsen breathing problems in children with asthma

HEPA filter - High Efficiency Particulate Air filter - a special air filter that can take out 99.97% of all particles in the air down to 0.3 microns in size; these are often used in homes to filter out particles in the environment that can aggravate allergies and asthma

HEPA unit - an air filtration device that has a HEPA filter

HEPA vacuum - a vacuum cleaner that contains a HEPA filter

Inflammation - a response to injury, infection, or irritation in which the area becomes swollen, red, and sore; the lungs of people with asthma always have inflammation; when the lungs are exposed to a trigger, the inflammation increases and causes asthma signs and symptoms

J - P

MDI - Metered Dose Inhaler - a small, hand-held device that is used to deliver medicine in measured amounts; it is a common way to take asthma medication

Morbidity - a disease or the incidence of disease within a population

Mortality - the number of deaths in a given time or place

Mucus - a "slimy" material that coats tissues inside the body, including the lungs and mouth; if too much is produced, which can happen when you have an infection, it makes it more difficult to move air in and out of your lungs

Nebulizer - a breathing machine that allows you to take asthma medicine in the form of a mist; the machine consists of a mouthpiece or mask, a medication cup, and thin plastic tubing which is connected to the machine; nebulizers are often used in emergency departments to treat asthma attacks

NIAID - National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - a part of the NIH that has conducted extensive research on asthma and allergies that has ultimately contributed to finding new ways to help affected individuals

NIH - National Institutes of Health - a medical research center funded by the U.S. Government; it is made up of more than 25 institutes and centers, each of which has a special area of health as its focus

NO2 - Nitrogen Dioxide - a reddish-brown gas that pollutes the air we breathe; it comes from cars, factories, environmental tobacco smoke, and combustion appliances inside the home; in high amounts, it can cause coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath

Peak flow - the maximum speed at which a person can blow air out of his/her lungs

Peak flow meter - a device that measures the speed at which a person can blow air out of his/her lungs; it can help you know when your child is not breathing at his/her best; it can let you know there are problems even before your child has signs like coughing or wheezing

Prevalence - the percentage of a population that has a certain disease at a certain time

Preventive medicine - a medicine that works slowly over many weeks to stop the swelling or inflammation in the airways; it is taken every day, even when the person with asthma feels fine and can breathe well; many people take their preventative medicine all year long for many years; people cannot become addicted or hooked on these asthma medicines even if they use them for many years; also referred to as a controller medicine

Primary care physician - a doctor who provides overall healthcare; these doctors are able to provide continuous care for asthma unless the asthma is severe

Pulmonary function - an assessment made from several different breathing techniques of how well a person's lungs are functioning; the assessment considers air flow, lung volume, and diffusion of gas in the lungs

Q - Z

Rescue medicine - a medicine that helps stop an asthma attack that has already started or keeps an attack from getting serious; it works quickly to stop the squeezing and open the airways in the lungs during an attack and is taken at the first sign of a wheeze, cough or tight chest; sometimes doctors instruct people to take it every day for a week or two following an attack, but rescue medicines are not meant to be used to stop attacks every day for weeks and weeks; bronchodilators are an example

Risk factor - something that makes you more likely to have asthma symptoms or an attack

Risk profile - a questionnaire or survey that is used to assess a variety of potential asthma risks for a child; only those factors that affect that particular child will be reported

Second-hand smoke - is a combination of the exhaled smoke from a smoker, and the smoke that remains from smoldering cigarettes, cigars, or pipes; when children breathe in second-hand smoke, it makes their asthma worse by irritating the lungs and it can cause respiratory infections; even when you can't see any smoke, the chemicals from the smoke are in the air and can make asthma worse

Side effect - any effect medicine has on you that is not directly related to the intended purpose of the medicine; an example is nausea that is caused by a medicine used to treat asthma

Spacer - a holding chamber that attaches to a metered dose inhaler; it holds medicine long enough to inhale it in one or two breaths; the spacer makes it easier to use the medicine right away

Symptom - something that lets you know that an asthma attack is about to start; also referred to as an asthma clue

Trigger - something that starts an asthma attack; examples of triggers are allergens, cold weather, emotions, and exercise; different people have different asthma triggers

Wheezing - a symptom of asthma, where a person has difficulty breathing; it is characterized by a whistling sound when a person breathes out