Contact your doctor See your doctor: If you think you have asthma. If you have frequent coughing or wheezing that lasts more than a few days or any other signs or symptoms of asthma, see your doctor. Treating asthma early may prevent long-term lung damage and help keep the condition from getting worse over time.
The classic symptoms of asthma include wheezing, coughing, tightness in your chest, and feeling short of breath. But other conditions — like allergies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sleep apnea, and post nasal drip — can trigger the same problems. Take allergies, for example.
Conditions that can mimic asthma include: Sinusitis: Also called a sinus infection; an inflammation or swelling of the sinuses. Sinusitis and asthma often coexist. Myocardial ischemia: A disease of heart function characterized by inadequate blood flow to the muscle tissue of the heart.
Testing for Asthma
The most common lung function test is called spirometry. This lung function test uses a device called, a spirometer, to measure the amount and speed of the air you blow out. This helps your healthcare provider see how well your lungs are working.
Seek medical attention right away if you have signs or symptoms of a serious asthma attack, which include: Severe breathlessness or wheezing, especially at night or in the early morning. The inability to speak more than short phrases due to shortness of breath. Having to strain your chest muscles to breathe.
Uncovering Signs of Asthma in Adults
Coughing or wheezing after physical activity. Coughing, wheezing or chest tightness after allergen exposure. Wheezing sounds during normal breathing. Breathing problems related to a specific seasonA cold lasting more than 10 days.
As stated before, silent asthma has the absence of coughing or wheezing. One reason why you may not experience coughing or wheezing is that your airways haven't tightened enough to restrict airflow through your bronchioles. This restriction of your bronchioles is what causes wheezing or very faint wheezing noises.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive disease, which means it gets worse over time. Like people with asthma, people with COPD experience shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing. COPD, however, produces progressive changes in the airways that make it more difficult for a person to breathe.
Most people with asthma have a dry cough, one that does not produce mucous. This happens when the airways constrict in response to an irritant and is a feature of asthma. As well as the cough there is often a high-pitched wheeze sound that is also caused by the constricted airway.
An asthma cough is typically dry and hacking, and may sound like a seal barking. It may be accompanied by wheezing or shortness of breath. The cough may be worse at night or early in the morning, and may be triggered by exercise, cold air, or allergens.
Spirometry. This is the recommended test to confirm asthma. During this test, you breathe into a mouthpiece that's connected to a device, called a spirometer, or to a laptop. It measures the amount of air you're able to breathe in and out and its rate of flow.
People have observed for decades that asthma symptoms seem to worsen at nighttime. As many as 75% of people with asthma—20 million in the United States--report worsening severity at night. Although many factors influence asthma severity, the role of the circadian system is unclear.
The blue puffer – known as a reliever – should only be used when a person with asthma is wheezing and feeling tight. But many use it too often making things worse.
Adult-onset asthma is often caused by: Allergies. Hormonal changes including pregnancy, menopause and taking estrogen following menopause. Certain respiratory infections like the cold or flu.
Over time, untreated asthma can also lead to lung scarring and loss of the surface layer of the lungs. The tubes of the lungs become thicker and less air is able to pass through. The airway muscles become enlarged and less able to relax. This lung damage may be permanent and irreversible.
If a person has asthma, they may have low oxygen levels during an asthma attack due to the impact the condition can have on the lungs. However, this is not always the case. A person can experience an asthma attack without it impacting the level of oxygen in their blood.
Some people don't need a daily medicine but EVERYONE who has asthma should have a rescue inhaler (albuterol) with them at all times.
To diagnose asthma, your doctor will discuss your personal and medical history with you. They will also perform a physical exam. You may need a lung function test (also known as a pulmonary function test), which can be done easily in the clinic. You may need other tests, such as a blood tests or chest and sinus X-ray.
Fall and winter are generally the time when asthma flare ups happen most frequently. This is partially due to a rise in respiratory infections such as the common cold or flu, which spread more effectively in the large gatherings that happen during the holidays.
First stage: intermittent asthma
At this stage, asthma is likely more of on occasional bothersome occurrence, rather than a disease that interferes significantly with day to day quality of life.
With the stethoscope, the doctor can detect breathing sounds caused by the asthma. During the subsequent physical examination, your doctor listens to your lungs with a stethoscope and watches out for typical breathing sounds caused by the asthma.
Sleep on your left side with a pillow between your legs
And the addition of a pillow between your legs stabilizes your spine and may help keep you in better sleep posture. Sleeping on your left side is especially helpful for people who suffer from both asthma and heartburn, as heartburn can trigger asthma symptoms.
Certain sleeping positions, such as lying on your side or your front, can constrict your lungs, potentially making nocturnal asthma symptoms worse. Meanwhile, sleeping flat on your back can cause mucus in your nose to drip to the back of your throat and trigger a night-time cough.