Asthma

Asthma is a chronic condition that causes the airways to narrow and become inflamed, reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches the lungs and making it difficult to breathe. When the airways are inflamed, they are more sensitive and narrow. When trying to inhale, the irritated airways overreact and the muscles around them temporarily constrict (tighten), limiting the flow of air. This results in coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Persistent swelling of the bronchial tubes, which carry oxygen to the smaller branches of the lungs, also contributes to the long-term damage asthma causes in the lungs, making it even more important to treat the inflammation. Asthma attacks can occur at any time, but physical activity such as sports or exercise often triggers an attack.

Why UAB

UAB Pulmonary Services is ranked among the best programs of its kind in the nation, and our physicians are consistently listed among the Best Doctors in America for respiratory disease. Most UAB Pulmonary Services doctors are triple board-certified in internal medicine, critical care, and pulmonary medicine. They serve on national boards and specialty organizations, speak at national conferences, publish in scientific and medical journals, and help conduct research that is recognized nationally and internationally. Our physicians are continually seeking new ways to treat lung disease and improve the techniques and care for transplant patients while contributing to the body of knowledge about lung disease. We have the only nationally accredited Sleep Medicine Fellowship Training Program in the state of Alabama.

Many UAB Pulmonary Services physicians carry out research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to gain a better understanding of lung disease and its treatments or help turn new discoveries into therapies. Our physicians have served as presidents of many national societies, including the American College of Chest Physicians, the Association of Subspecialty Professors, and the Association of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Program Directors. The excellence of our clinical and research programs has been recognized with our membership in the NIH-funded COPD and IPF Clinical Research networks (COPDnet and IPFnet, respectively), as well as the American Lung Association's Asthma Clinical Research Network and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Therapeutics Development Network.

Images and Videos

UAB nurse, Barbara, diagnosed with cancer in both lungs, is now cancer free and thriving, thanks to treatment from her multi-disciplinary care team at UAB Medicine.

PHYSICIANS

Joseph B. Barney, MD

Gerald B. Belopolsky, MD

Scott E. Buchalter, MD

J. Allen D. Cooper Jr., MD

Jack H. Hasson, MD

John I. Kennedy Jr., MD

Kevin J. Leon, MD

Victor J. Thannickal, MD

Related Conditions

Listed below are some conditions that may be related to or share some similarities with the condition addressed on this page.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

RELATED SERVICES

Bronchial Thermoplasty

Smoking Cessation

CLINICAL TRIALS

UAB is an active participant in research and clinical trials for the diagnosis and treatment of asthma . We encourage you to speak to your physician about research and clinical trial options and browse the link below for more information.

View Clinical Trials