Asthma Handbook

Symptoms of Asthma

Asthma can sometimes be difficult to diagnose because some of the symptoms can be similar to other condition such as, for instance, chronic bronchitis, emphysema or cystic fibrosis. But the following guide will give you a good idea as to whether or not the symptoms you experience are asthma. However, asthma must be medically diagnosed and treated. If you have asthma it needs to be noted on your medical records. You may have asthma if:

You are short of breath
If you experience breathlessness after laughing or crying you may be asthmatic. People with asthma also often find that they cannot finish each breath without needing another. One asthma patient has described it like this. You breathe in but you can't push that air out, so because ou then have to breathe again you tale another tiny, shallow breath. Eventually you are choking.

Exercise makes you breathless.
If physical exertion makes you more breathless than it does other people, it could be asthma. But it could be another condition like emphysema or heart disease.

You wheeze
If you can hear a whistling sound as you breathe this could be because of the increased irritability of the airways, as well as the phlegm that has been produced as a result of an allergic reaction. Wheezing can be an indication of asthme, particularly in children, but not all asthmatic children wheeze.

You feel tight-chested.
Some asthma patients describe this sensation as a tight band across their chests. Many people get chesty after a bad cold or a bout of flu, but with asthma recovery can be very slow or may not happen without special treatment.

You cough
Recurrent coughing that can sometimes produce a yellow, green or white mucus may be a sign of asthma. Adults will cough up phlegm while children will swallow it and then be sick. The coughing, which is often accompanied by wheezing, can be particularly bad at night. Persistent coughing is a common symptom of asthma in children.

You react badly to cold air.
If you find yourself breathless, with a tight chest, wheezy or coughing in cold weather it could well be that you have asthma.

You react to some drugs.
Breathlessness can be experienced after taking certain types of medicine which are not suitable for asthma patient. These include aspirin, some medicines prescribed for heart diseases like beta-blockers, some drugs for arthritis, non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen and some eye drops used for treating glaucoma.

continue --->

No Comment