What are the signs and symptoms of Asthma?

Common asthma symptoms include:

• Coughing. Coughing from asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning, making it hard to sleep.
• Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe.
• Chest tightness. This can feel like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.
• Shortness of breath. Some people say they can't catch their breath, or they feel breathless or out of breath. You may feel like you can't get enough air in or out of your lungs.
• Faster breathing or noisy breathing.

Not all people have these symptoms, and symptoms may vary from one asthma attack to another. Symptoms can differ in how severe they are: Sometimes symptoms can be mildly annoying, other times they can be serious enough to make you stop what you are doing, and sometimes symptoms can be so serious that they are life threatening.

Symptoms also differ in how often they occur. Some people with asthma have symptoms only once every few months, others have symptoms every week, and still other people have symptoms every day. With proper treatment, however, most people with asthma can expect to have few or no symptoms.

Is Your Asthma Allergic?

Understanding asthma

Asthma is a chronic and potentially life-threatening lung disease in which airways become inflamed and/or swollen, making it hard to breathe. An estimated 20 million Americans suffer from asthma. Of these, 10 million - including 3 million children - suffer specifically from allergic asthma. Yet, research shows that many people with asthma could better control their disease which would help reduce asthma symptoms or attacks.

Understanding allergic asthma

Allergic asthma is the most common form of asthma. Many of the symptoms of allergic and non-allergic asthma are the same (coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath or rapid breathing and chest tightness). However, allergic asthma is triggered by inhaling allergens such as dust mites, pet dander, pollens, mold, etc. Through a complex reaction, these allergens then cause the passages in the airways of the lungs to become inflamed and swollen. This results in coughing, wheezing and other asthma symptoms.

IgE, the cause of allergic asthma

Allergens are identified as a key cause of allergic asthma. But the real culprit in causing allergic asthma is the IgE antibody. The IgE antibody is produced by the body in response to allergen exposure. The combination of the IgE antibody with allergens results in the release of potent chemicals called mediators. The mediators cause the inflammation and swelling of the airways, resulting in the symptoms of asthma. This makes the antibody IgE the root cause of allergic asthma.

?">
During an asthma attack a series of things happen in your lungs and airways that all contribute to the symptoms of an asthma attack. The cells that line your airways create and excrete more mucus that they normally do. This creates an excess that clogs the airways and makes breathing more difficult. This mucus can also settle in the lungs creating breathing problems by filling the air pockets that would normally hold the air you breathe. 

The muscles in your airways tighten. These muscles are wrapped around the airways and when they tighten they constrict the airways and cause them to narrow. This has a two-fold negative effect in an asthma attack. It lessens the amount of air that can travel in them and also hinders in the ability to cough up and out the excess mucus that is being produced in the airways. Both of these combined have the effect of inhibiting the ability to inhale end exhale air comfortably. 

Another thing that happens is the airways themselves begin to swell. This swelling takes place in the tissue lining the airways, closing off the inside of the airways. All three things combined cause and contribute to the symptoms of an asthma attack. Swelling on the inside of the airways resulting in lesser volume of air capacity; Tightening and constricting of the muscles wrapped around the airways all bring on an asthma attack. 

Asthma attacks may be severe, moderate or mild. They can come on suddenly or take days in developing. A severe asthma attack can be deadly. It can cause the person to literally suffocate. In the severe asthma attack the person become so breathless that they may be unable to talk. The person suffering the attack may feel their neck and chest muscles tightening. Due to the lack of oxygen in the blood, lips and fingernails may begin to turn bluish in color. 

It is important for the person suffering a severe asthma attack to get immediate help. Delaying treatment in any way can have catastrophic consequences. The first thing that should be done is to take your prescribed medication to help stop the attack and relieve the symptoms. Contact emergency medical services and handle it as such, a medical emergency. If someone is with you have them get you to the hospital immediately. Time is of essence in the event of a severe asthma attack. 

A mild asthma attack has the same causes and the same symptoms; they are just not as extreme and are not deadly. There should be a plan in place for the person who suffers a mild asthma attack. If they are treated promptly with prescribed medication, while uncomfortable, they will pass. Keep your medication available and ready to use at all time and never run out. Replace medications before they run out.  A quick response is the key to stopping an asthma attack.