Symptoms of Asthma: An Introduction

Common asthma symptoms include:

Coughing. Coughing from asthma is often worse at night or early in the morning, making it hard to sleep.

Wheezing. Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe.

Chest tightness. This can feel like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.

Shortness of breath. Some people say they can't catch their breath, or they feel breathless or out of breath. You may feel like you can't get enough air into or out of your lungs.

Faster breathing or noisy breathing. A person with asthma may breathe faster or louder than normal, especially during an asthma attack.

People with asthma may also have symptoms that include:

Wheezing when they have a cold or other illness Frequent coughing, especially at night (sometimes, this is the only sign of asthma in a child) Attacks triggered by exercises such as running, biking, or other brisk activity, especially during cold weather Coughing or wheezing brought on by prolonged crying or laughing Coughing or wheezing when near an allergen or irritant.

If you notice that you have symptoms of asthma, talk to your healthcare provider.

Other Signs and Symptoms of Asthma

Other signs may include:

Wheezing when you have a cold or other illness Frequent coughing, especially at night (sometimes, this is the only sign of asthma in a child) Asthma symptoms brought on by exercises such as running, biking, or other brisk activity, especially during cold weather Coughing or wheezing brought on by prolonged crying or laughing Coughing or wheezing when near an allergen or irritant.

Severe Signs and Symptoms

In severe cases of asthma, respiratory distress may occur. In this emergency situation, the symptoms may include:

Anxiety An increased heart rate An increased rate of breathing Sweating The use of neck and chest muscles to breathe.

If a person is not getting enough oxygen to the lungs, he or she may experience confusion, unconsciousness, and blue skin color. In such cases, immediate medical assistance is needed.

An Overview of Medications for Asthma

Many different types of drugs are approved for asthma. Some are inhaled directly into the lungs, while others are taken orally as a tablet or capsule. Some are rapid-acting "rescue medications" used to relieve an asthma attack, while others are long-acting and help to prevent asthma attacks. Types of asthma medication include:

Bronchodilators Steroids Combination medications Miscellaneous other asthma medications.

Many people with asthma take several different types of asthma medications. Everyone with asthma should have a short-acting bronchodilator. In addition, some people take a long-acting bronchodilator, inhaled steroid, or one of the other medicines available. Bronchodilators Bronchodilators are medications that directly relax (or "dilate") the muscles of the airway. Rapid-acting bronchodilators are "rescue medications" used to help relieve an asthma attack. Asthma medications in this category include:

Albuterol (Proventil HFA, Ventolin HFA, ProAir HFA, Vospire ER) Levalbuterol (Xopenex, Xopenex HFA) Metaproterenol (Alupent) Pirbuterol (Maxair).

Long-acting bronchodilators are taken on a regular basis to prevent asthma attacks, but are not used to treat an asthma attack. These types of medications include:

Formoterol (Foradil) Salmeterol (Serevent) Terbutaline (Brethine) Theophylline.

All of the medications listed in this article, other then terbutaline and theophylline, are inhaled directly into the lungs, using either an inhaler or a device called a nebulizer. Terbutaline and theophylline are taken orally (by mouth).

Asthma Treatment: An Overview

You and your healthcare provider can decide together about your treatment goals for asthma and what you need to do to control the condition. Treatment for asthma includes:

Avoiding things that bring on your asthma symptoms or that make symptoms worse. Doing so can reduce the amount of medicine you need to control your asthma. Allergy medicines and allergy shots, in some cases, may help your asthma.

Using asthma medicines.

With proper asthma treatment, you should ideally have these results:

Your asthma should be controlled You should be free of symptoms You should have fewer attacks You should need to use short-acting bronchodilators less often You should be able to engage in normal activities without having symptoms.