Asthma Symptoms

It is important to understand asthma symptoms as these may vary from person to person. If you have mild symptoms, you may be able to prevent the onset of an asthma attack. If more severe symptoms are not recognized, then emergency care may be delayed and can put you at risk of more serious complications.

Some people may have all these symptoms when the airways narrow, become inflamed, and fill with mucus.

  • Chest Tightness - may occur as the inability or perception of not being able to breathe air in and out of your lungs. This feeling may also increase anxiety levels. The inflammation, mucus, and muscle tightness may occur after exposure to a trigger, such as smoke, dust, pets or chemicals or it could be as a result of exercise.

  • Shortness of breath - refers to having difficulty breathing or feeling breathless. The medical term is dyspnea.  Young children in particular may have difficulty in describing what shortness of breath feels like. Children who are not yet talking may experience problems feeding while older children may describe it as being too tired to play with other children their age.
  • Wheezing - a high pitched raspy sound on breathing. It occurs when air tries to flow through narrowed breathing tubes. The wheezing sound is most obvious when exhaling (breathing out), but may be heard when inhaling (breathing in).

  • Chronic Coughing - Chronic coughing is common among patients developing asthma symptoms and is also a sign of poor asthma management. Coughing is one of your body's normal defense mechanisms and also a common reason why patients seek medical attention. While a cough can be a sign of infection or asthma, a cough is helps in expelling infection, mucus and other foreign material from your body. A cough is not always a sign that something is wrong, but any chronic cough that lasts in excess of 3 weeks needs to be investigated.

Knowing the early signs of an asthma attack can assist in asthma maangement. These early warning signs include:

  • Increased coughing at night
  • Cough or wheezing during physical activity
  • Tiredness during non active activities
  • Restless sleep or waking up tired
  • Increased allergy symptoms like constant runny nose, dark circles under your eyes or itchy, inflamed skin

Recognizing that these symptoms may develop into an asthma attack may assist in preventing more severe asthma symptoms.