Asthma attack. 3d animation showing airway constriction due to tightening of circular muscles (brown) of a bronchus within the lungs of a human body. During an asthma attack, the bronchial tubes become inflamed and tighten. An increase in secretions within the tubes may also cause them to fill with mucus. Symptoms of this narrowing of the airways which deliver air to the lungs include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and tightness of the chest.