Symptoms of Asthma
The symptoms of asthma vary from person to person and can range from mild to severe. In between episodes, asthma patients may feel normal and have no difficulty in breathing. Some asthmatics may have chronic coughing and wheezing.
As the symptoms mentioned below can be present in other respiratory and sometimes in heart conditions, diagnostic testing is vital in recognizing this disorder. A positive family historyfor asthma or allergic diseases supports a suspected diagnosis of asthma.
The four major recognized symptoms are:
- Shortness of breath (dyspnea)—especially with exertion or at night
- Wheezing—a whistling or hissing sound when breathing out
- Coughing—may be chronic, usually worse at night and early morning and may occur after exercise or when exposed to cold, dry air
- Chest tightness—may occur with or without the above symptoms
Characteristically asthmatics suffer in the early morning. The patient may wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. with tightness, cough and wheezing. These attacks may be confused with paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea due to left ventricular failure. However, the symptom of nocturnal chest tightness is a diagnostic of asthma.
Emergency asthma symptoms include the following:
- Extreme difficulty in breathing
- Bluish discoloration (cyanosis) of the lips and face
- Decreased level of alertness
Written by: Healthplus24 team
Date last modified: July 02, 2011
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Articles in Asthma