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Asthma occurs when the airways in your lungs (bronchial tubes) become inflamed and constricted. The muscles of the bronchial walls tighten, and your airways produce extra mucus that blocks your airways. Signs and symptoms of asthma range from minor wheezing to life-threatening asthma attacks.
Asthma can't be cured, but its symptoms can be controlled. Management includes avoiding asthma triggers and tracking your symptoms. You may need to regularly take long-term control medications to prevent flare-ups and short-term "rescue" medications to control symptoms once they start. Asthma that isn't under control can cause missed school and work or reduced productivity due to symptoms. Because in most people asthma changes over time, you'll need to work closely with your doctor to track your signs and symptoms and adjust your treatment as needed.
Symptoms
Asthma signs and symptoms range from minor to severe, and vary from person to person. You may have mild symptoms such as infrequent wheezing, with occasional asthma attacks. Between episodes you may feel normal and have no trouble breathing. Or, you may have signs and symptoms such as coughing and wheezing all the time or have symptoms primarily at night or only during exercise.
Asthma signs and symptoms include:
* Shortness of breath
* Chest tightness or pain
* Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
* An audible whistling or wheezing sound when exhaling
* Bouts of coughing or wheezing that are worsened by a respiratory virus such as a cold or the flu
Signs that your asthma is probably getting worse include:
* An increase in the severity and frequency of asthma signs and symptoms
* A fall in peak flow rates as measured by a peak flow meter, a simple device used to check how well your lungs are working
* An increased need to use bronchodilators — medications that open up airways by relaxing the surrounding muscles
Work with your doctor to determine when you need to increase your medications or take other steps to treat symptoms of worsening asthma and get your asthma back under control. If your asthma keeps getting worse, you may need a trip to the emergency room. Your doctor can help you learn to recognize emergency signs and symptoms so you'll know when to get help.
If you have asthma, the inside walls of the airways in your lungs are inflamed and swollen. This makes the muscles surrounding your airways very sensitive, so they tighten and constrict spontaneously. In addition, membranes in your airway linings secrete excess mucus. The result is narrowed airways and obstructed airflow that typically lead to coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. |
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