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People with asthma experience symptoms when the airways tighten, inflame, or fill with mucus. Common symptoms of asthma include:
Coughing, especially at night
Wheezing
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness, pain, or pressure
Not every person with asthma has the same symptoms in the same way. You may not have all of these symptoms, or you may have different symptoms at different times. Your symptoms may also vary from one asthma attack to the next, being mild during one asthma attack and severe during another.
Some people with asthma may go for extended periods without having any symptoms, interrupted by periodic worsening of their symptoms called asthma attacks, while others have some symptoms every day. In addition, some people with asthma may only have symptoms during exercise or when they are exposed to allergy-causing substances or viral infections like colds.
Mild asthma attacks are generally more common. Usually, the airways open up within a few minutes to a few hours. Severe attacks are less common but last longer and require immediate medical help. It is important to recognize and treat even mild symptoms to help you prevent severe episodes and keep asthma under better control.
Are there early signs that I am starting to have problems with my asthma?
Early warning signs are changes that happen just before or at the very beginning of an asthma attack. These changes start before the well-known symptoms of asthma and are the earliest signs that your asthma is worsening.
In general, these signs are not severe enough to stop you from going about your daily activities. But by recognizing these signs, you can stop an asthma attack or prevent one from getting worse. Early warning signs include:
Frequent cough, especially at night
Losing your breath easily or shortness of breath
Feeling very tired or weak when exercising
Wheezing or coughing after exercise
Feeling tired, easily upset, grouchy, or moody
Decreases or changes in lung function as measured on a peak flow meter
Signs of a cold, or allergies (sneezing, runny nose, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, and headache)
Trouble sleeping
If you have early warning signs or symptoms, you should take more asthma medication for flare-up or poor control as described in your Asthma Action Plan.
What symptoms indicate that my asthma is getting worse?
If early warning signs and symptoms are not recognized and treated, your asthma episode can progress and symptoms may worsen. As symptoms get worse, you may have more difficulty performing daily activities and sleeping. Symptoms of worsening asthma include:
A cough that won’t go away (day and night)
Wheezing
Tightness in the chest
Shortness of breath
Poor response to asthma medicines such as bronchodilators
What’s an asthma attack and how do I know if I’m having one?
An asthma attack is the episode in which bands of muscle surrounding the airways are triggered to tighten. This tightening is called bronchospasm. During the attack, the lining of the airways becomes swollen or inflamed and the cells lining the airways produce more and thicker mucus than normal.
All of these factors — bronchospasm, inflammation, and mucus production — cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and difficulty performing normal daily activities. Other symptoms of an asthma attack include:
Severe wheezing when breathing both in and out
Coughing that won’t stop
Very rapid breathing
Chest pain or pressure
Tightened neck and chest muscles, called retractions
Difficulty talking
Feelings of anxiety or panic
Pale, sweaty face
Blue lips or fingernails
What’s an asthma attack and how do I know if I’m having one? continued…
The severity of an asthma attack can escalate rapidly, so it’s important to treat these symptoms immediately once you recognize them.
Without immediate treatment, your breathing will become more labored, and wheezing will be louder. If you use a peak flow meter at this time, the reading will probably be < 50%.
As your lungs continue to tighten, you will be unable to use the peak flow meter at all. Gradually, your lungs will tighten so there is not enough air movement to produce wheezing. This is sometimes called the “silent chest,” and it is an ominous sign. You need to be transported to a hospital immediately. Unfortunately, some people interpret the disappearance of wheezing as a sign of improvement and fail to get prompt emergency care.
If you do not receive adequate treatment, you will eventually be unable to speak and will develop a bluish coloring around your lips. This color change, known as cyanosis, means you have less and less oxygen in your blood. Without aggressive treatment in an intensive care unit, you will lose consciousness and eventually die.
If you are experiencing an asthma attack, follow the “Red Zone” or emergency instructions in the Asthma Action Plan immediately. These symptoms occur in life-threatening asthma attacks. You may need medical attention right away
It has enough symptoms that it would be worth it to you to see your doctor about it. Animal dander (not the fur) could be an asthma trigger. If your doctor has any more concerns he/she will probably send you to an allergy/asthma doctor.
Good to hear that you already have an appointment with your MD. Because it sounds like extrinsic or allergic asthma to me. This is asthma that is triggered by environmental factors like pet dander. Not all people with asthma wheeze. They just ‘feel tight’ in the chest. Funny thing about asthma. People always say that they can’t take a deep breath in. When they in fact can take a breath in but with the swelling going on in their air ways it causes premature collapsing and they actually have trouble exhaling. That is when you hear the characteristic wheezing. I strongly urge you to talk to your doctor about getting a referal to see a Pulmonolgist. This is a doctor that specializes in the lungs and their particualr disorders. While I’m sure that your family practitioner is absolutely wonderful you really need to see a lung specialist to be properly managed when you have asthma. I wish you well. I hope that you feel better soon.
November 5th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Marcie Stilley
People with asthma experience symptoms when the airways tighten, inflame, or fill with mucus. Common symptoms of asthma include:
Coughing, especially at night
Wheezing
Shortness of breath
Chest tightness, pain, or pressure
Not every person with asthma has the same symptoms in the same way. You may not have all of these symptoms, or you may have different symptoms at different times. Your symptoms may also vary from one asthma attack to the next, being mild during one asthma attack and severe during another.
Some people with asthma may go for extended periods without having any symptoms, interrupted by periodic worsening of their symptoms called asthma attacks, while others have some symptoms every day. In addition, some people with asthma may only have symptoms during exercise or when they are exposed to allergy-causing substances or viral infections like colds.
Mild asthma attacks are generally more common. Usually, the airways open up within a few minutes to a few hours. Severe attacks are less common but last longer and require immediate medical help. It is important to recognize and treat even mild symptoms to help you prevent severe episodes and keep asthma under better control.
Are there early signs that I am starting to have problems with my asthma?
Early warning signs are changes that happen just before or at the very beginning of an asthma attack. These changes start before the well-known symptoms of asthma and are the earliest signs that your asthma is worsening.
In general, these signs are not severe enough to stop you from going about your daily activities. But by recognizing these signs, you can stop an asthma attack or prevent one from getting worse. Early warning signs include:
Frequent cough, especially at night
Losing your breath easily or shortness of breath
Feeling very tired or weak when exercising
Wheezing or coughing after exercise
Feeling tired, easily upset, grouchy, or moody
Decreases or changes in lung function as measured on a peak flow meter
Signs of a cold, or allergies (sneezing, runny nose, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, and headache)
Trouble sleeping
If you have early warning signs or symptoms, you should take more asthma medication for flare-up or poor control as described in your Asthma Action Plan.
What symptoms indicate that my asthma is getting worse?
If early warning signs and symptoms are not recognized and treated, your asthma episode can progress and symptoms may worsen. As symptoms get worse, you may have more difficulty performing daily activities and sleeping. Symptoms of worsening asthma include:
A cough that won’t go away (day and night)
Wheezing
Tightness in the chest
Shortness of breath
Poor response to asthma medicines such as bronchodilators
What’s an asthma attack and how do I know if I’m having one?
An asthma attack is the episode in which bands of muscle surrounding the airways are triggered to tighten. This tightening is called bronchospasm. During the attack, the lining of the airways becomes swollen or inflamed and the cells lining the airways produce more and thicker mucus than normal.
All of these factors — bronchospasm, inflammation, and mucus production — cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and difficulty performing normal daily activities. Other symptoms of an asthma attack include:
Severe wheezing when breathing both in and out
Coughing that won’t stop
Very rapid breathing
Chest pain or pressure
Tightened neck and chest muscles, called retractions
Difficulty talking
Feelings of anxiety or panic
Pale, sweaty face
Blue lips or fingernails
What’s an asthma attack and how do I know if I’m having one? continued…
The severity of an asthma attack can escalate rapidly, so it’s important to treat these symptoms immediately once you recognize them.
Without immediate treatment, your breathing will become more labored, and wheezing will be louder. If you use a peak flow meter at this time, the reading will probably be < 50%.
As your lungs continue to tighten, you will be unable to use the peak flow meter at all. Gradually, your lungs will tighten so there is not enough air movement to produce wheezing. This is sometimes called the “silent chest,” and it is an ominous sign. You need to be transported to a hospital immediately. Unfortunately, some people interpret the disappearance of wheezing as a sign of improvement and fail to get prompt emergency care.
If you do not receive adequate treatment, you will eventually be unable to speak and will develop a bluish coloring around your lips. This color change, known as cyanosis, means you have less and less oxygen in your blood. Without aggressive treatment in an intensive care unit, you will lose consciousness and eventually die.
If you are experiencing an asthma attack, follow the “Red Zone” or emergency instructions in the Asthma Action Plan immediately. These symptoms occur in life-threatening asthma attacks. You may need medical attention right away
November 8th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Edward Friday
It has enough symptoms that it would be worth it to you to see your doctor about it. Animal dander (not the fur) could be an asthma trigger. If your doctor has any more concerns he/she will probably send you to an allergy/asthma doctor.
November 11th, 2008 at 2:49 am
Ted Gean
yes it does
November 11th, 2008 at 1:12 pm
Mabel Poisson
Good to hear that you already have an appointment with your MD. Because it sounds like extrinsic or allergic asthma to me. This is asthma that is triggered by environmental factors like pet dander. Not all people with asthma wheeze. They just ‘feel tight’ in the chest. Funny thing about asthma. People always say that they can’t take a deep breath in. When they in fact can take a breath in but with the swelling going on in their air ways it causes premature collapsing and they actually have trouble exhaling. That is when you hear the characteristic wheezing. I strongly urge you to talk to your doctor about getting a referal to see a Pulmonolgist. This is a doctor that specializes in the lungs and their particualr disorders. While I’m sure that your family practitioner is absolutely wonderful you really need to see a lung specialist to be properly managed when you have asthma. I wish you well. I hope that you feel better soon.