Dee, age 52, was diagnosed with asthma at age 23, soon after giving birth to one of her sons. She is white European and has four children. She works as an office administrator in the financial sector. Dee has learned to manage the condition successfully. She describes herself as an organised asthmatic' as she feels that there are steps you can take to help to make things easier - to take the preventative medication even when you're feeling well, ensure that you keep your medication up to date, are aware of what medication you are taking, and that other people know what to do in case of an emergency.

Stephen, age 25, was diagnosed with asthma very recently. He is white British, single and works as a delivery driver. Stephen has been prescribed a preventative inhaler and a ventolin inhaler to use when needed. He is due to return to see his GP soon for a review to see how effective the medication has been.

Tim, age 63, was diagnosed with asthma at age 25 although he had symptoms of asthma as a child. He is white British and lives with his wife and has spent some of his life living in Australia. He is an author. Tim describes his asthma as stable and fairly minor.' Since being prescribed medication, he says that asthma has never stopped him from doing what he wants to do, but he remains aware of the dangers of asthma.

Melissa, age 37, was diagnosed with asthma at age 16. She is white British, and lives with her partner and two children who both also have asthma. Melissa remembers always feeling breathless and wheezy. At first she was upset by being diagnosed with a chronic condition and knowing that she would have to take regular medication, and as a young person feels she wasn't very vigilant about using her inhalers, but as she has become older she feels more accepting of her condition, and more confident in her ability to self-manage things.

Lisa, age 23, was diagnosed with asthma at age 11. She is white and works as a clerical officer. During the last year of primary school, Lisa found that she was out of breath during P. E. lessons and shortly after was diagnosed with asthma which she describes as mild to moderate. Lisa says that she did not really understand what asthma was at the time, but the nurse explained it to her and gave her a DVD to watch. Lisa found the DVD, with young people talking about asthma on it, very helpful. As she has become older Lisa feels she has become more knowledgeable about asthma.

Julie, age 68, was diagnosed with asthma at 40. She is white British and married with six adult children. She is a retired learning and management consultant. Her diagnosis came as a surprise as she hadn't realised it could develop later in life. At first she relied quite heavily on steroid based tablets, and a ventolin inhaler. Over the years however as newer medications were introduced she found it easier to keep control over her symptoms, which usually appear when she has a bad cold or respiratory infection.

Susan, age 31, was diagnosed with asthma at 18. She is white British and single and enjoys a career as an academic researcher. Susan had hay fever as a child which became more severe when she was at secondary school and she was diagnosed with asthma. She has periods when her asthma is well managed and stable, but sometimes, especially if she gets a cold or infection she has to increase her medication until things are back on an even keel.

Jenny, age 34, was diagnosed with asthma at age 18. She is white British and lives at home with her parents who help care for her when she is unwell. She has had to retire from her job in healthcare due to her ill health. Although Jenny had her first asthma attack at 18, it was 10 years later at the age of 28 that marked a turning point when she got pneumonia and her asthma became much worse. She now has brittle asthma, and is often in and out of hospital because it can be difficult to stabilise as she can go from being perfectly well, to severely unwell in a matter of hours.

Riina, age 22, was diagnosed with asthma at age 12. She is from Finland and is currently studying History at university in the UK. She also works part time in a fundraising café. Riina was diagnosed when she noticed on some occasions that she was finding it difficult to breathe properly. Since then she has used a preventer inhaler and occasionally she uses a reliever inhaler. Overall though she is rarely troubled by symptoms and hardly thinks about her asthma.

Alice, age 59, was diagnosed with asthma at age 18. She is white British and lives with her husband. Alice took early retirement from her job as a civil servant due to her asthma, and now has to plan her time so that she does not do too much. She thinks it is important for people to be proactive in managing their asthma in conjunction with their doctor.