INVALUABLE ASTHMA INFORMATION
Asthma Treatments: Relievers and Preventers
There are two main categories of medicines used for the treatment of asthma ...
Asthma Trends and Statistics
In the United States, an estimated 23.2 million currently people suffer from asthma, almost 9 million of whom are under the age of 18 - that's 12 percent of all children ...
Diagnosing Asthma
Diagnosis is the first step in keeping your asthma under control. Early warning signs of asthma include ...
For More Invaluable Information:
THE BEST ASTHMA BOOKS
Asthma For Dummies
Asthma For Dummies will help asthma sufferers and their loved ones get a strong handle on managing the disease ...
American Academy of Pediatrics Guide To Your Child's Allergies And Asthma
From the foremost authority on children's health -- a vital guide for parents whose children suffer from allergies and asthma ...
For More Asthma Books:
ASTHMA BOOKS
Identifying The Signs
And Symptoms Of Asthma
Asthma is one of the fastest growing health problems in the United States and around the world. Between 2002 and 2004, reported asthma cases rose over 4% - a startling statistic. This rise is even more startling when you consider that many asthma sufferers don't recognize their signs and symptoms and their cases go undiagnosed.
These people, suffering from what's often referred to as hidden asthma, are more prone to respiratory illnesses, often suffer through more severe colds, and are more likely to get pneumonia and chronic bronchitis. In addition, their health may suffer from poor sleep (one of the signs and symptoms of asthma is nighttime coughing and restlessness), depressed immunities and general fatigue.
Being knowledgeable about the signs and symptoms can help alert undiagnosed asthma sufferers to their condition. And if they get in to see a doctor, he can evaluate their lung function (most commonly using a peak flow meter) and make sure they have a treatment plan in place that's designed to reduce their chances of ever having an acute asthma episode in the future.
So let's take a look at the signs and symptoms of asthma:
Wheezing
- Wheezing is the telltale sign of an asthma attack, though it may not always be present in chronic mild asthma.
- Wheezing at the end of an exhale is a common symptom of mild asthma.
- However, if you're wheezing throughout an exhale, this is often a symptom of more severe asthma.
- And wheezing both on inhalation and exhalation is a symptom of an acute asthma attack. Medical attention should be sought if you're on medication and the medication doesn't relieve your symptoms within five to ten minutes.
Coughing
- Chronic nighttime coughing, especially in the absence of another illness is one of the most common signs and symptoms of asthma in children.
- The cough may produce the familiar rattle that comes from shaking mucus loose, but little comes up because an an asthma cough isn't triggered by the need to move mucus. Instead, it's triggered by irritated and inflamed airways.
- Of all the signs and symptoms of asthma, coughing is the one most likely to appear by itself. Cough-variant asthma should be diagnosed by a doctor using a special test using histamines to provoke a reaction.
- Cough-variant asthma is common, and tends to be quite responsive to a combination of bronchodilators and inhaled corticosteroids that relieve the inflammation.
Shortness of Breath
- Being out of breath after minimal exertion can be a symptom of asthma.
- Exercise-induced shortness of breath is often diagnosed as asthma, but this is a tricky symptom and needs to be carefully evaluated by a medical professional. In one study conducted at the University of Iowa, researchers found that over 60% of the children who were diagnosed as having exercise-induced asthma actually had nothing wrong with them at all except their own perceptions of how much they should be able to do without getting out of breath.
Chronic Respiratory Illnesses
- Chronic bouts with pneumonia and bronchitis are often a signal of an underlying problem - and that problem often turns out to be asthma.
If you or your child shows the above signs and symptoms of asthma, it's important to be evaluated by a doctor. If you do have asthma, a few simple changes can make a world of difference in your lives.