Skip to main content
N I Direct government services

Main navigation

  • Home
  • News
  • Contacts
  • Help
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Afrikaans — Afrikaans
  • Albanian — Shqip
  • Amharic — አማርኛ
  • Arabic — العربية
  • Armenian — Հայերեն
  • Assamese — অসমীয়া
  • Aymara — Aymar aru
  • Azerbaijani — Azərbaycan dili
  • Bambara — Bamanankan
  • Basque — Euskara
  • Belarusian — Беларуская
  • Bengali — বাংলা
  • Bhojpuri — भोजपुरी
  • Bosnian — Bosanski
  • Bulgarian — Български
  • Cantonese — 廣州話
  • Catalan — Català
  • Cebuano — Sinugbuanong Binisayâ
  • Chichewa — Chichewa
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 简体中文
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 繁體中文
  • Corsican — Corsu
  • Croatian — Hrvatski
  • Czech — Čeština
  • Danish — Dansk
  • Dhivehi — ދިވެހި
  • Dogri — डोगरी
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • English — English
  • Esperanto — Esperanto
  • Estonian — Eesti
  • Ewe — Eʋegbe
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • Finnish — Suomi
  • French — Français
  • Frisian — Frysk
  • Galician — Galego
  • Georgian — ქართული
  • German — Deutsch
  • Greek — Ελληνικά
  • Guarani — Avañe’ẽ
  • Gujarati — ગુજરાતી
  • Haitian Creole — Kreyòl ayisyen
  • Hausa — Hausa
  • Hawaiian — ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi
  • Hebrew — עברית
  • Hindi — हिन्दी
  • Hmong — Hmoob
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Icelandic — Íslenska
  • Igbo — Asụsụ Igbo
  • Ilocano — Ilokano
  • Indonesian — Bahasa Indonesia
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Japanese — 日本語
  • Javanese — Basa Jawa
  • Kannada — ಕನ್ನಡ
  • Kazakh — Қазақ тілі
  • Khmer — ភាសាខ្មែរ
  • Kinyarwanda — Ikinyarwanda
  • Konkani — कोंकणी
  • Korean — 한국어
  • Krio — Krio
  • Kurdish (Kurmanji) — Kurdî
  • Kurdish (Sorani) — کوردی
  • Kyrgyz — Кыргызча
  • Lao — ລາວ
  • Latin — Latina
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lingala — Lingála
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių
  • Luganda — Luganda
  • Luxembourgish — Lëtzebuergesch
  • Macedonian — Македонски
  • Maithili — मैथिली
  • Malagasy — Malagasy
  • Malay — Bahasa Melayu
  • Malayalam — മലയാളം
  • Maltese — Malti
  • Maori — Māori
  • Marathi — मराठी
  • Meiteilon (Manipuri) — ꯃꯤꯇꯩ ꯂꯣꯟ
  • Mizo — Mizo ṭawng
  • Mongolian — Монгол хэл
  • Myanmar (Burmese) — မြန်မာစာ
  • Nepali — नेपाली
  • Norwegian — Norsk
  • Odia (Oriya) — ଓଡ଼ିଆ
  • Oromo — Afaan Oromoo
  • Pashto — پښتو
  • Persian — فارسی
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Punjabi — ਪੰਜਾਬੀ
  • Quechua — Runa Simi
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Samoan — Gagana Samoa
  • Sanskrit — संस्कृतम्
  • Scots Gaelic — Gàidhlig
  • Sepedi — Sepedi
  • Serbian — Српски
  • Sesotho — Sesotho
  • Shona — Shona
  • Sindhi — سنڌي
  • Sinhala — සිංහල
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Slovenian — Slovenščina
  • Somali — Soomaali
  • Spanish — Español
  • Sundanese — Basa Sunda
  • Swahili — Kiswahili
  • Swedish — Svenska
  • Tajik — Тоҷикӣ
  • Tamil — தமிழ்
  • Tatar — Татар теле
  • Telugu — తెలుగు
  • Thai — ไทย
  • Tigrinya — ትግርኛ
  • Tsonga — Xitsonga
  • Turkish — Türkçe
  • Turkmen — Türkmençe
  • Twi — Twi
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Urdu — اردو
  • Uyghur — ئۇيغۇرچە
  • Uzbek — Oʻzbekcha
  • Vietnamese — Tiếng Việt
  • Welsh — Cymraeg
  • Xhosa — IsiXhosa
  • Yiddish — ייִדיש
  • Yoruba — Yorùbá
  • Zulu — IsiZulu
  • Breadcrumb

    1. Home
    2. Health and wellbeing
    3. Illnesses and conditions
    4. A to Z

    Asthma

    Asthma is a common long-term condition that can cause coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and breathlessness. It is caused by inflammation of the small tubes, which carry air in and out of the lungs. Asthma can develop at any age, including in young children and older people.

    Symptoms of asthma

    The symptoms of asthma can range from mild to severe. Most people will only experience occasional symptoms, although a few people will have problems most of the time.

    The main symptoms of asthma are:

    • wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe)
    • shortness of breath
    • a tight chest – which may feel like a band is tightening around it 
    • coughing

    These symptoms are often worse at night and early in the morning, particularly if the condition is not well controlled. They may also develop or become worse in response to a certain trigger, such as exercise or exposure to an allergen.

    You should speak to your GP if you think you or your child may have asthma.

    You should also talk to your doctor or asthma nurse if you have been diagnosed with asthma and you are finding it difficult to control your symptoms.

    Asthma attacks

    When asthma symptoms get significantly worse, it is known as an asthma attack or "acute asthma exacerbation".

    Asthma attacks often develop slowly, sometimes taking a couple of days or more to become serious, although some people with asthma are prone to sudden, unexpected severe attacks.

    It is important to recognise attacks early and take appropriate action.

    During an asthma attack, the symptoms described above may get worse.

    If you're already on treatment, your inhaler medication may not work as well as it normally does, or you may need to use your inhaler more often to relieve your symptoms.

    If you think you or your child are having an asthma attack, don't ignore it. Use your asthma action plan if you have one.

    Contact your GP or asthma clinic as soon as possible, if:

    • you or your child does not have an action plan
    • following the steps in your action plan does not lead to an improvement in the control of your or your child’s symptoms

    When to seek immediate medical help 

    Signs of a particularly severe asthma attack can include:

    • your reliever inhaler (which is usually blue) is not helping symptoms as much as usual, or at all
    • wheezing, coughing and chest tightness becoming severe and constant
    • being too breathless to eat, speak or sleep
    • breathing faster
    • a rapid heartbeat
    • feeling drowsy, exhausted or dizzy
    • your lips or fingers turning blue (cyanosis)

    Call 999 to seek immediate help if you or someone else has symptoms of a severe asthma attack.

    Treating asthma 

    If you have asthma you should be able to lead a full and unrestricted life. With the right treatment you can control your asthma and keep your symptoms at bay.

    There are a variety of different treatments and medications for asthma, including inhaled medication and tablets.

    Some of the medication used to treat asthma, called relievers, work to relieve your symptoms when they happen, while others, called preventers, help to control your symptoms and stop them happening.

    It is important to take your medication as prescribed.

    • Treatments for asthma

    Causes of asthma

    It's not clear exactly what causes asthma. Although the cause of asthma is unknown, a number of things that can increase your chances of developing the condition have been identified. These include:

    • a family history of asthma or other related allergic conditions (known as atopic conditions) such as eczema, food allergy or hay fever
    • having another atopic condition
    • having bronchiolitis (a common childhood lung infection) as a child
    • childhood exposure to tobacco smoke, particularly if your mother also smoked during pregnancy 
    • being born prematurely, especially if you needed a ventilator to support your breathing after birth
    • having a low birth weight as a result of restricted growth within the womb

    Some people may be at an increased risk of developing asthma by repeatedly breathing in certain substances, such as those related to their work. Many chemicals and types of dust can cause asthma symptoms.

    • Causes of asthma

    Living with asthma  

    Your asthma may get better or worse at different times. There may be periods when you have asthma symptoms, but in between you may be generally well, possibly for many years.

    Below are some things you can do to help keep your asthma under control.

    Self care

    Self care is an integral part of daily life. It involves taking responsibility for your own health and wellbeing, with support from those involved in your care.

    Taking your medication

    It's important that you or your child take any medication as prescribed, even if you start to feel better.

    If you have any questions or concerns about medication you or your child are taking, or its side effects, talk to your doctor or asthma nurse.

    Regular reviews

    As asthma is a long-term condition, you'll be in regular contact with your healthcare team.

    You or your child should have checks at least once a year to make sure the condition is under control and your current treatment is still appropriate.

    You or your child should ask about a self-management action plan if you do not have one. Having a plan will help you know what to do if your (your child’s) symptoms get worse. 

    Vaccinations

    If you have asthma, you may be advised to have a yearly flu jab to protect against flu as getting flu may make your asthma more difficult to control.

    You may also be advised to have a one-off injection that protects against a specific serious chest infection called pneumococcal pneumonia.

    Children with asthma should still have all their routine vaccinations.

    Stop smoking

    If you smoke and have asthma, you should stop smoking as this can significantly reduce the severity and frequency of your symptoms.

    Smoking can also reduce the effectiveness of asthma medication.

    There is free specialist advice available to help you quit smoking. 

    Stop smoking support services, through GP practices and community pharmacies, are available across Northern Ireland.

    If you do not smoke and have asthma, try to avoid being exposed to tobacco smoke because this may trigger your symptoms.

    If your child has been diagnosed with asthma, you should try to make sure that nobody smokes around them.

    • Asthma (NHS website)

    More useful links

    • How to use your health services
    • Air pollution and health
    • Air quality in Northern Ireland
    • Support for chest conditions
    • Asthma

    The information on this page has been adapted from original content from the NHS website.

    For further information see terms and conditions.

    Health conditions A to Z

    Or find conditions beginning with A to Z…

    Skip A to Z menu
    • A
    • B
    • C
    • D
    • E
    • F
    • G
    • H
    • I
    • J
    • K
    • L
    • M
    • N
    • O
    • P
    • Q
    • R
    • S
    • T
    • U
    • V
    • W
    • X
    • Y
    • Z

    Related conditions

    • Cough

    Help improve this page - send your feedback

    What do you want to do?
    Report a problem
    Which problem did you find on this page? (Tick all that apply)

    Messages

    You will not receive a reply. We will consider your feedback to help improve the site.

    Don't include any personal or financial information, for example National Insurance, credit card numbers, or phone numbers.

    What is your question about?

    What to do next

    Comments or queries about angling can be emailed to anglingcorrespondence@daera-ni.gov.uk 

    If you have a comment or query about benefits, you will need to contact the government department or agency which handles that benefit.  Contacts for common benefits are listed below.

    Carer's Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912
    Email 
    dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Discretionary support / Short-term benefit advance

    Call 0800 587 2750 
    Email 
    customerservice.unit@communities-ni.gov.uk

    Disability Living Allowance

    Call 0800 587 0912 
    Email dcs.incomingpostteamdhc2@nissa.gsi.gov.uk

    Employment and Support Allowance

    Call 0800 587 1377

    Jobseeker’s Allowance

    Contact your local Jobs & Benefits office

    Personal Independence Payment

    Call 0800 587 0932

    If your query is about another benefit, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    Comments or queries about the Blue Badge scheme can be emailed to bluebadges@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk or you can also call 0300 200 7818.

    For queries or advice about careers, contact the Careers Service.

    For queries or advice about Child Maintenance, contact the Child Maintenance Service.

    For queries or advice about claiming compensation due to a road problem, contact DFI Roads claim unit.

    If you can’t find the information you’re looking for in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) section, then for queries about:

    • Restrictions or regulations — contact the Department of Health
    • Travel advice (including self-isolation) — contact the Department of Health
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccinations — contact the Department of Health or Public Health Agency

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk and for queries about your certificate, email covidcertni@hscni.net.

    For queries or advice about criminal record checks, email ani@accessni.gov.uk

    Application and payment queries can be emailed to ema_ni@slc.co.uk

    For queries or advice about employment rights, contact the Labour Relations Agency.

    For queries or advice about birth, death, marriage and civil partnership certificates and research, contact the General Register Office Northern Ireland (GRONI) by email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk

    For queries about your GRONI account, email gro_nisra@finance-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about the High Street Spend Local Scheme,  email HSSS.mail@economy-ni.gov.uk.

    For queries about:

    • Car tax, vehicle registration and SORN
      contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Swansea
       
    • Driver licensing and tests, MOT and vehicle testing
      contact the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA), Northern Ireland

    If your query is about another topic, select ‘Other’ from the drop-down menu above.

    For queries about your identity check, email nida@nidirect.gov.uk.

     

    For queries or advice about passports, contact HM Passport Office.

    For queries or advice about Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs), including parking tickets and bus lane PCNs, email dcu@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about pensions, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre.

    If you wish to report a problem with a road or street you can do so online in this section.

    If you wish to check on a problem or fault you have already reported, contact DfI Roads.

    For queries or advice about historical, social or cultural records relating to Northern Ireland, use the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) enquiry service.

    For queries or advice about rates, email LPSCustomerTeam@lpsni.gov.uk

    For queries or advice about  60+ and Senior Citizen SmartPasses (which can be used to get concessionary travel on public transport), contact Smartpass - Translink.

    If you have a question about a government service or policy, you should contact the relevant government organisation directly.  We don't have access to information about you.

    Related sites

    • gov.uk
    • nibusinessinfo.co.uk

    Links to supporting information

    • Accessibility statement
    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • RSS