Asthma

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Overview Symptoms Treatment Prevention

Asthma

• wheezing
  • usually begins suddenly
  • is episodic
  • may be worse at night or in early morning
  • aggravated by exposure to cold air
  • aggravated by exercise
  • aggravated by heartburn (reflux)
  • resolves spontaneously
  • relieved by bronchodilators (drugs that open the airways)
• cough with or without sputum (phlegm) production
• shortness of breath that is aggravated by exercise
• breathing that requires increased work
• intercostal retractions (pulling of the skin between the ribs when breathing)

Emergency symptoms:

• extreme difficulty breathing
• bluish color to the lips and face
• severe anxiety due to shortness of breath
• rapid pulse
• sweating
• decreased level of consciousness (severe drowsiness or confusion) during an asthma attack

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• nasal flaring
• chest pain
• tightness in the chest
• abnormal breathing pattern, in which exhalation (breathing out) takes more than twice as long as inspiration (breathing in)
• breathing which temporarily stops

Your doctor will listen to the chest during an episode, to listen for wheezing sounds. However, lung sounds are usually normal between asthma episodes.

Tests may include:

• Lungfunction tests
• Peak flow measurements
• Chest x-ray
• Allergy skin or blood tests
• Arterial blood gas
• Eosinophil count (a type of white blood cell)

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