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Asthma Words to Know

Definition: Quick-Relief Medicines

Quick-relief medicines are used by people with asthma to relieve asthma symptoms or to treat an asthma flare-up.

Definition: Retractions

Retractions are a sign that someone is working hard to breathe.

Definition: Spacer

People with asthma often use inhalers (also called puffers) to take their medications. A spacer (also sometimes called a holding chamber) is a device that makes using an inhaler easier and more effective.

Definition: Spirometer

A spirometer is an instrument that measures how well your child's lungs are working.

Definition: Sulfites

Sulfites are a kind of food preservative that can cause breathing difficulties in some people with asthma.

Definition: Triggers

During normal breathing, the airways to the lungs are fully open, allowing air to easily move in and out. In a person with asthma, the airways are inflamed and overly sensitive to certain things that wouldn't usually bother others. These are called triggers.

Definition: Wheezing

A wheeze is a high-pitched whistling sound made when air flows through narrowed airways in the lungs, usually when people breathe out.

What's a Peak Flow Meter?

A peak flow meter is a portable handheld device used to measure how well a person can blow air out of the lungs.