Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease affecting more than 25 million Americans. If you have asthma, your airways can become inflamed and narrowed, making it difficult to breathe — an asthma attack is a sudden worsening of these symptoms.

An asthma attack can be serious, so we spoke with Sameh Hanna, MD, Lung and Respiratory Care doctor with Dignity Health Medical Group – Inland Empire, to learn how to prevent asthma attacks and manage them effectively if they occur.