Many people find that exposure to wood burning smoke triggers or worsens symptoms of other respiratory ailments. These include:

• Asthma. A chronic inflammation of the body’s bronchial (airway) tissues that afflicts millions of people in the United States. People with asthma experience shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing and wheezing. These symptoms intensify during an asthma attack, which occurs when exposure to allergens or other stimuli further inflame the airways.
  

  

• Allergies.  An allergic cascade is the immune system’s attempt to defend the body from a perceived threat that, in most people, is harmless. During this process, a foreign substance comes into contact with the body and triggers an immune system response that includes symptoms such as itchy eyes, runny nose and sneezing.
  
  

  
  

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Respiratory condition that shares one major feature with asthma: airflow limitation. However, whereas asthma is almost always reversible, COPD is usually difficult to treat. COPD causes permanent damage to the air sacs (alveoli) and smaller bronchial tubes of the lungs, and tends to become progressively worse over time.
  
  
• Chronic bronchitis. An inflammation of the lower airway of the respiratory system usually related to smoking or other environmental irritants. The condition is characterized by a moist cough and an overproduction of mucus. Symptoms of chronic bronchitis usually reoccur until the cause of the condition (e.g., cigarette smoke, occupational irritants) is identified and removed.
  
  
• Emphysema. A condition in which the air sacs in the lungs (alveoli) are damaged, interfering with the normal exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. People with emphysema experience shortness of breath, a nagging cough (often with mucus) and a gradually worsening ability to exhale.
  
  
• Pneumonia. An infection or inflammation of the lungs that results in the lungs’ air sacs becoming filled with fluid. Pneumonia is caused when bacteria, viruses or other organisms enter the respiratory system and are not attacked effectively by the immune system.