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Definition of "asthma" []

  • A chronic respiratory disease, often arising from allergies, that is characterized by sudden recurring attacks of labored breathing, chest constriction, and coughing. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "asthma" in a sentence
  • "Indoor air pollution may have contributed to the increase in asthma rates since the 1980s, says Philip Landrigan, director of Mount Sinai's Children's Environmental Health Center."
  • "In a randomized, double-blind controlled study of 297 patients at 30 sites, those treated with the Alair device had a 32% reduction in asthma attacks, an 84% reduction in emergency-room visits and a 66% reduction in school or work days lost due to asthma."
  • "Unless you think that building an economy based on oil-spill clean-up and doctors treating asthma is the way of the future, then it's time to expose this one."