Asthma is a complex disorder characterized by variable and recurring symptoms such as: airflow obstruction and bronchial hyper-responsiveness following an underlying inflammation.
The working definition of asthma is as follows: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways following an underlying inflammation which causes recurrent episodes of coughing (particularly at night or early in the morning), wheezing, breathlessness, and chest tightness. These episodes are usually associated with widespread but variable airflow obstruction which is reversible either spontaneously or with treatment