Asthma Symptoms

Noting asthma symptoms is crucial in preventing the symptoms from getting worse. Although the minor symptoms of asthma like coughing and wheezing only cause tolerable discomfort, they can easily worsen and become life-threatening. It is therefore important that one knows how to spot asthma signs before the problem gets worse.

Asthma is a condition where the airway passages are blocked or narrowed due to constriction, inflammation and increased production of mucus.  This happens when the body is exposed to allergens that trigger these changes.

An asthma diagnosis is usually done based in the patient's symptoms, medical history, and physical examination and laboratory tests. During a physical examination, wheezing can be clearly heard over the lung fields using a stethoscope. However, the most reliable physical examination technique done to diagnose asthma is with the use of an incentive spirometer, a device that measures the amount of air entering and leaving the lungs. This is usually done before and after the patient is given a bronchodilator. If the spirometer shows a significant change in the amount of air entering the leaving the lungs after the patient was given the bronchodilator, the condition is most likely reversible airway obstruction or asthma.

Causes of Asthma

Asthma can be caused by the certain substances that lead to the blockage of airway passages. These substances include pollen, dust mites, animal fur and dander. Viral infections, exercise in cold air, and tobacco smoke are also known to cause asthma attacks. Sudden changes in the weather can also bring about an asthma attack.

Asthma Symptoms

Common asthma symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, headache and sweating. Mild asthma symptoms may go away on their own. For asthma symptoms that cause discomfort, taking asthma medication called bronchodilators usually relives the asthma symptoms immediately. Bronchodilators are one class of drug used in asthma treatment. They dilate the airways to decrease airway resistance and encourage the flow of air through the air passages. 

Severe asthma symptoms include severe pain in the chest, inability to catch one's breath and straining of the neck muscles in order to breath. Patients suffering from severe breathing difficulties may turn blue because of lack of oxygen.  Severe asthma symptoms require emergency care.