How Do I Know If I Have Asthma?
"How do I know if I have asthma?" you may ask.
Although there may be variation in the symptoms of asthma among different people, the common asthma symptoms include tightness in the chest or a scratchy throat. This is followed by a cough, shortness of breath, or wheezing. This last one is the cardinal symptom of asthma. It is the one symptom that clearly indicates obstruction of airways. Cough may be present. Often, in addition, clear sputum may be present
Symptoms may become worse during the night or on waking up. Shortness of breath is caused by increased obstruction of the airways. Often, asthma symptoms occur in conjunction with acid reflux. This is especially true in older patients.
Symptoms are usually discernible only after some hours or days have elapsed after the exposure to triggers. In the case of a severe asthmatic attack, the obstruction of the airways is quite serious by the time a patient even phones for a doctor. A cough with thick string-like mucus often signals the end of an asthmatic attack. Even after the attack has abated, inflammation persists for quite some days. Different people experience asthma symptoms differently. Some of them experience them daily, whereas some others go symptom less for days together and then have an asthmatic attack. In some people, the symptoms are exercise induced or appear after exposure to allergens or viral infections such as colds. Mild attacks of asthma are more common than severe ones. After a mild attack, the airways open up after some minutes or a few hours. However, in the case of a severe attack, the symptoms last much longer. Further, in that case the patient requires immediate expert medical help. It is important that treatment be provided even for the mildest symptoms of asthma so as to prevent severe attacks and to have better control over the disease. Wheezing is the most obvious indication of asthma. Doctors can confirm the presence of a mild attack by using a stethoscope to listen to the chest. Besides being short of breath and wheezing, the patient may have tightness in the chest and cough. Children may complain of itching on their neck or back at the beginning of an attack. The wheezing sound is at its loudest when an asthmatic patient breathes out. During this action air is expelled through the narrowed bronchial airways. Some patients become short of breath only occasionally, whereas during other periods they are symptom free. Some others are all the time coughing and wheezing till they are treated properly. In some asthma patients, crying or laughing may bring on the symptoms. Sometimes asthmatic patients are afflicted with a viral respiratory infection or are exposed to allergens or irritants and thereafter they have a severe asthmatic attack. The duration of an asthmatic attack varies. Asthma symptoms must never be ignored. Whenever they appear, it is important to provide immediate treatment to the patient under expert medical supervision.
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