Female Speaker: Marie Coleman can vividly recall the asthma attacks that use to send her to the emergency room on a monthly basis.Marie Coleman: Your lungs are burning; you're panicked, the more you can't breathe, the more you panic; the more you panic, the worst you can't breathe.Female Speaker: Marie and 20 million other Americans suffer from asthma. They deal episodes of coughing, wheezing and gasping for breath and often simple breathing can be a struggle, but it doesn't have to be that way.Norman Edelman: For the overwhelming majority of people, asthma can be controlled. We believe every patient with asthma should expect to lead a nearly normal life with the proper care.Eduardo Oliveria: The common symptoms for asthma include wheezing, shortness of breath, cough very often, and chest tightness.Female Speaker: Asthma can be triggered by irritants such as air pollution, cigarette smoke, paint fumes, and strong odors, allergens, viral respiratory infections, weather conditions and in some, exercise can lead to symptoms. Without proper treatment, these triggers can cause an asthma attack with potentially life threatening consequences.Marie Coleman: Somebody walks by with the wrong cologne, with dust on them, with pollen on them and all of the sudden you stop breathing.Female Speaker: Although no cure has been discovered for asthma, most patients can successfully control their condition through avoiding known irritants that trigger symptoms and by taking prescribed medications.Carlos Camargo: There is two kinds of medicines, the quick relief medicines which are fast acting and then the controller medicines which are anti-inflammatory medicines which really address the problem of asthma which is inflammation of the airways of the lungs.Female Speaker: The rescue or quick relief medications are inhaled to treat asthma symptoms or an asthma attack. These medications rapidly relax the smooth muscles around the airways allowing them to open.Eduardo Oliveria: It's a medication that is designed to get you out of trouble right away.Female Speaker: The preventative or long-term asthma control medications are taken daily. These medications inhibit the inflammatory response to irritants and best reduce or prevent swelling in the airways and decrease mucus production.Andrew Liu: The goal of the long acting controllers is to keep those symptoms from being triggered in the first place.Female Speaker: A third class of asthma control medications is the leukotriene modifiers which are available in tablets. They specifically block the powerful chemicals involved in the inflammation process and may reduce swelling inside the airways and relax the surrounding smooth muscles. In addition to avoiding irritants that trigger symptoms and taking medications, patients may consider immunotherapy injections also know allergy shots and desensitization. Marie Coleman is taking part in a clinical trail of an experimental asthma medication and so far it's been working well for her.Marie Coleman: For the first time in my life I haven't been to the hospital in two years.Female Speaker: Regardless of how the asthma is treated, with trigger avoidance, medications or immunotherapy, all asthma patients should know their condition can be effectively treated and managed.