Asthma (cont.)

The symptoms of asthma vary from person to person and in any individual from time to time. It is important to remember that many of these symptoms can be subtle and similar to those seen in other conditions. All of the symptoms mentioned below can be present in other respiratory, and sometimes, in heart conditions. This potential confusion makes identifying the settings in which the symptoms occur and diagnostic testing very important in recognizing this disorder.

The following are the four major recognized asthma symptoms:

• Shortness of breath, especially with exertion or at night



• Wheezing is a whistling or hissing sound when breathing out



• Coughing may be chronic, is 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

Asthma fact

Asthma is classified according to the frequency and severity of symptoms, or "attacks," and the results of pulmonary (lung) function tests.

• 30% of affected patients have mild, intermittent (less than two episodes a week) symptoms of asthma with normal breathing tests



• 30% have mild, persistent (two or mores episodes a week) symptoms of asthma with normal or abnormal breathing tests



• 40% have moderate or severe, persistent (daily or continuous) symptoms of asthma with abnormal breathing tests

An acute, or sudden, asthma attack is usually caused by an exposure to allergens or an upper-respiratory-tract infection. The severity of the attack depends on how well your underlying asthma is being controlled (reflecting how well the airway inflammation is being controlled). An acute attack is potentially life-threatening because it may continue despite the use of your usual quick-relief medications (inhaled bronchodilators). Asthma that is unresponsive to treatment with an inhaler should prompt you to seek medical attention at the closest hospital emergency room or your asthma specialist office, depending on the circumstances and time of day. Asthma attacks do not stop on their own without treatment. If you ignore the early warning signs, you put yourself at risk of developing status asthmaticus.

Allergy fact

Prolonged attacks of asthma that do not respond to treatment with bronchodilators are a medical emergency. Physicians call these severe attacks "status asthmaticus," and they require immediate emergency care.

The symptoms of severe asthma are persistent coughing and the inability to speak full sentences or walk without shortness of breath. Your chest may feel closed, and your lips may have a bluish tint. In addition, you may feel agitation, confusion, or an inability to concentrate. You may hunch your shoulders, sit or stand up to breathe more easily, and strain your abdominal and neck muscles. These are signs of an impending respiratory system failure. At this point, it is unlikely that inhaled medications will reverse this process. A mechanical ventilator may be needed to assist the lungs and respiratory muscles. A face mask or a breathing tube is inserted in the nose or mouth for this treatment. These breathing aids are temporary and are removed once the attack has subsided and the lungs have recovered sufficiently to resume the work of breathing on their own. A short hospital stay in an intensive-care unit may be a result of a severe attack that has not been promptly treated. To avoid such hospitalization, it is best, at the onset of symptoms, to begin immediate early treatment at home or in your doctor's office.

Allergy fact

The presence of wheezing or coughing in and of itself is not a reliable standard for judging the severity of an asthma attack. Very severe attacks may clog the tubes to such a degree that the lack of air in and out of your lungs fails to produce wheezing or coughing.

Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/asthma/article.htm