Though it s impossible to free the world of these breathing irritations, you can help free your home of them. This way, avoiding attacks is a piece of cake and living with asthma means living with fresh, breathable air. To help eliminate these irritants in the home and work place, don t allow cigarette smoking. In the years 1972-1986 Sweden did a poll to see what the trends were with asthma and the elderly and they found that 710,187 hospitalisation days and 62,342 periods of hospital treatment were mainly due to the elderly and asthma. Typical Symptoms Typical symptoms of asthma may mimic Chronic Bronchitis, and Emphysema, colds and allergy. Doctors define asthma as chronic inflammatory disease of the airway that causes many symptoms including: - Shortness of breath - Chronic cough - Wheezing - Tightness in the chest With these symptoms or their early onset a doctor is able to conduct lung-function tests. Your doctor may also prescribe medications to assist in the conclusive determination as to whether the disease is present or not. There are many different ways that people living with asthma can make their condition less painful, and make breathing easier a breeze. Even with medication, some people who have been diagnosed with asthma learn that medication does not combat all asthma symptoms. But there are things that you can do, along with taking your regular medication, to lessen even these lingering symptoms. A lot of teenagers do not understand exactly what asthma is so explain to them in detail. Many do not understand that asthma is not just a sudden wheeze or coughing bout, but is active 24/7. Asthma is caused by the tubes that help you breath becoming swollen and inflamed, therefore causing them to tighten up and leave less room for air to get to the lungs. -Remove carpet in the home; dander is more likely to be trapped, even from regular vacuuming within carpet fibers. Of particular interest for the allergy sufferer is no carpet in the bedroom. -Shield your mattress and pillows in allergen-proof covers. -Clean all areas the pet travels often using a vacuum with HEPA (high-efficiency particular air) filter.