College students and DeKalb residents with asthma, such as Courtney Furdick, know when the air becomes disagreeable.

“I had a few mild, rare asthma attacks when I lived in Crystal Lake,” Furdick said. “But since I’ve been in DeKalb for four years, I’ve had to use an inhaler every day.”

Asthma is an inflammatory lung illness that restricts or prevents airflow in the lungs when an asthmatic person comes into contact with any number of triggers, such as dander, pollen, cigarette smoke and over-exercise.

“I had to go to [University] Health Services the other day because of an attack,” Furdick said. “The location, and my allergies getting progressively worse affect my asthma.”

Shortness of breath, wheezing, tightness in the chest or long coughing bouts are the main symptoms of asthma, according to UHS. Even if the symptoms are mild, treatment is recommended to prevent them from getting worse.

During an attack, lining in the airways becomes swollen, a thick mucus is produced and the airways become tighter and narrower, restricting airflow and making breathing difficult.

Asthma has no basic cause or cure. The best way to deal with it is to control the symptoms, according to UHS.

If someone has an attack, he or she should use an inhaler or have someone call 911. If the person passes out, use CPR.

Asthma usually is passed from parent to child, according to the UHS. However, like other diseases, a parent with asthma may not necessarily have a child with asthma.

Bronchodilators, or inhalers, relieve symptoms that occur from reactions or exercise and mostly are used in emergency situations. If an asthmatic person exercises, a bronchodilator would be used beforehand to prevent an attack.

Anti-inflammatory medicines reverse and prevent the swelling that cause other symptoms of asthma. People who have two or more reactions a week take these medicines every day as a precaution to keep airways open.

“Most people need both medicines to keep the asthma in check,” said Pam Hatcher, manager of respiratory care services at Kishwaukee Community Hospital. “Asthma is more prevalent this time of year because of the increase of triggers.”

One big seasonal cause is the sudden changes in weather. When cold temperatures cause leaves to fall, the leaves decay and mold. The mold gets in the air and into the lungs.

Seasonal infections, such as the flu, also can trigger an asthma attack.

“If you walk around or exercise in the cold weather, usually you get a stuffed-up runny nose,” Hatcher said. “For asthmatic people, exercising in the cold can give them stuffed-up lungs.”

Out of 86,993 residents in DeKalb County, there are 5,273 adults and 1,007 children diagnosed with chronic asthma.

Statistics given by the American Lung Association of Illinois-Iowa show that there are more asthma cases in large cities such as Chicago, and in more condensed, urban areas.

For information about asthma, visit www.lungusa.org.