Asthma Symptoms
Asthma Symptoms
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways (bronchial
tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants, and this is characterized
by difficulty in breathing.
Asthma symptoms include:
* Coughing. Coughing in people with asthma is often worse at night or
early in the morning, making it hard for them to sleep.
* Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound when you
breathe.
* A tight feeling in the chest. This can feel like someone is
squeezing or sitting on your chest.
* Shortness of breath. Asthma sufferers often say they can't catch
their breath, or they feel breathless or out of breath. They feel like
you can't get enough air in or out of their lungs.
* Episodes of wheezy difficulty in breathing.
* Faster breathing or noisy breathing.
* Narrowing of the air passages in the lungs and hence increased
resistance to airflow.
* Rapid and considerable changes in airway obstruction (peak flow
variation >= 20%)
* Frequent nocturnal episodes and low morning peak flow values
* Significant reversibility with drugs which resemble adrenaline, the
beta2 agonists
* Significant reversibility with steroid drugs
* Symptom-free periods
* Frequent occurrence of allergy
* Inflammation of the air passages, characterised by eosinophils in
the airway wall
* Bronchial hyper-responsiveness to non-specific stimuli such as cold
air or histamine.
People with asthma may have:
* Wheezing when they have a cold or other illness
* Frequent coughing, especially at night (sometimes this is the only
sign of asthma in a child)
* Asthma symptoms brought on by exercises such as running, biking, or
other brisk activity, especially during cold weather
* Coughing or wheezing brought on by prolonged crying or laughing
* Coughing or wheezing when they are near an allergen or irritant
Not all people have these symptoms, and symptoms may vary from one
asthma attack to another.
Symptoms can also differ in how severe they are.For example, sometimes
symptoms can be mildly annoying and at other times they can be serious
enough to make
you stop what you are doing, and sometimes symptoms can be so serious
that they are life threatening and you need to get medical attention.
Symptoms also differ in how often they occur. Some people with asthma
only have symptoms once every few months, others have symptoms every
week, and still other people have symptoms every day.
With proper treatment and management, however, most people with asthma
can expect to have minimal or no symptoms, and can lead active, normal
lives.
At a Glance … Asthma Symptoms
* Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease that makes airways
(bronchial tubes) particularly sensitive to irritants, and this is
characterized by difficulty in breathing.
* The main symptoms of asthma include coughing, especially at night,
wheezing, a tight feeling in the chest, and shortness of breath.
* The symptoms may vary from person to person, and they may also vary
in severity and how often they occur.
* With proper treatment and management, most people will lead active,
normal lives.
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