Asthma

Asthma is a common non-communicable respiratory disease, especially among children. It can be considered a chronic illness in the absence of a cure or time limit on its duration. After outlining some basic facts about asthma, this entry summarizes sociological insights from qualitative research on young people with the condition. Themes include: the potential influence of age and gender on the meanings and management of symptoms, the importance of social support, using or avoiding inhalers in various settings, maintaining a sense of ordinariness, the contingency of asthma as an “only sometimes problem,” the presence of co-morbidities that might eclipse asthma, embodying health identities, managing stigma, and co-constructing asthma protocols within the structural constraints of childhoods. The entry finishes with some reflections on future research directions in a global context.