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Symptoms of Asthma
Symptoms of Asthma: Introduction
The classic hallmark of asthma is wheezing. This is a whistling sound that is created as air is forced through the narrowed airways in the lungs of a person with asthma. It is often heard when a person with asthma exhales, but may also be heard when a person inhales. Some wheezing can be heard by the naked ear, but it is not unusual to need to use a stethoscope to hear it. In severe cases, it may be difficult to hear wheezing because the airway have become so narrowed that there is not enough air moving through them to create the sound.
Other typical symptoms include chest tightness, cough, shortness of breath, anxiety, restlessness, pallor of the skin, and a "retracting" of the muscles that surround and encase the rib cage. When retractions happen, the ribcage appears to be working very hard and the muscles in and above it appear to be "sucking in" with breathing. Early signs of an execration of asthma can be subtle and can include restless, anxiety, and wheezing that cannot be heard by the naked ear. Because it is always best to catch and treat an exacerbation of asthma early, learning to recognize the early symptoms of asthma is an important step on minimizing severe episodes.
Symptoms of Asthma
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Asthma includes the 18 symptoms listed below:
- Symptoms of an asthma attack:
- Breathing difficulty
- Shortness of breath after exertion
- Persistent cough
- Cough worse at night
- Poor stamina
- more information...»
Research symptoms & diagnosis of Asthma:
- Overview -- Asthma
- Diagnostic Tests for Asthma
- Home Diagnostic Testing
- Complications -- Asthma
- Doctors & Specialists
- Misdiagnosis and Alternative Diagnoses
- Hidden Causes of Asthma
- Other Causes -- causes of these or similar symptoms
Asthma: Complications
Review medical complications possibly associated with Asthma:
- School absenteeism (see Absenteeism)
- Home confinement
- Breathing difficulty
- Hospitalization
- Asphyxia
- Death
- more complications...»
Research More About Asthma
Do I have Asthma?
- Asthma: Introduction
- Asthma: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
- Home Diagnostic Testing
- Alternative diagnoses and misdiagnosis for Asthma
- Failure to Diagnose Asthma
- How serious is it?
- Treatments for Asthma
- More about Asthma
Asthma: Medical Mistakes
Asthma: Undiagnosed Conditions
Diseases that may be commonly undiagnosed in related medical areas:
- Chronic Respiratory Disorders that may be Undiagnosed:
- more undiagnosed conditions...»
Home Diagnostic Testing
Home medical tests related to Asthma:
- Allergies -- Related Home Tests
- Lung & Respiratory Health Tests:
- Food Allergies & Intolerances: Home Testing:
- more home tests...»
Wrongly Diagnosed with Asthma?
The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Asthma includes:
- COPD
- Bronchiectasis
- Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
- Cystic fibrosis
- Eosinophilic pneumonia
- more diagnoses...»
See the full list of 46 alternative diagnoses for Asthma
Asthma: Research Doctors & Specialists
- Allergy Specialists:
- Immune-Related Disease Specialists (Immunology):
- Lung Health Specialists (Pulmonologist):
- more specialists...»
Research all specialists including ratings, affiliations, and sanctions.
More about symptoms of Asthma:
More information about symptoms of Asthma and related conditions:
- Other diseases with similar symptoms and common misdiagnoses
- Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Asthma
- Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Asthma
- Underlying causes of Asthma
- Associated conditions for Asthma
- Risk factors for Asthma
Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
- Breathing difficulty - see all causes of Breathing difficulties
- Chest tightness - see all causes of Chest tightness
- Cough worse at night - see all causes of Night cough
- Coughing - see all causes of Coughing
- Cyanosis - see all causes of Cyanosis
- Difficulty speaking - see all causes of Difficulty speaking
- Drop in peak flow rate - see all causes of Lung symptoms
- Itchy throat - see all causes of Sore throat
- Persistent cough - see all causes of Persistent cough
- Poor stamina - see all causes of Exercise symptoms
- Rapid breathing - see all causes of Rapid breathing
- Rapid pulse - see all causes of Rapid heart beat
- Shallow breathing - see all causes of Shallow breathing
- Shortness of breath - see all causes of Shortness of breath
- Shortness of breath after exertion - see all causes of Shortness of breath from exercise
- Sore throat - see all causes of Sore throat
- Wheezing - see all causes of Wheezing
Medical Books Online about Asthma
Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Asthma are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Asthma.
- "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)" (2006)
- [ read ]
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter" (2000)
- [ read ]
- "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series" (2007)
- [ read ]
- "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics" (2006)
- [ read ]
- "Avoiding Common Pediatric Errors" (2008)
- [ read ]
- "Avoiding Common Pediatric Errors" (2008)
- [ read ]
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
Related videos for Asthma
Asthma Overview
Asthma strikes a surprisingly large number of Americans. For some it is a nuisance, to others it can be serious. Listen to experts talk about the...
Asthma in Adolescents
Being a teen can be difficult. Being a teen with asthma poses extra challenges. There may be changes in the characteristics of their symptoms due to...
Asthma in Kids 5-12
Most kids with asthma will have their first episode before they go to school. But as kids get older their asthma triggers often change. The best...
Asthma in Kids Under 5
Up to 10% of children in the United States have asthma, and asthma control is key to preventing long-term problems. National treatment guidelines...
Patient Surveys for Asthma
- Patient Profile Survey
Take Survey View Results - Survey about the symptoms of your Asthma
Take Survey View Results
Symptoms of Asthma: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Asthma.
Asthma:
Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
An asthma attack may begin dramatically, with simultaneous onset of many severe symptoms, or insidiously, with gradually increasing respiratory distress. It typically includes progressively worsening shortness of breath, cough, wheezing, and chest tightness or some combination of these signs or symptoms.
During an acute attack, the cough sounds tight and dry. As the attack subsides, tenacious mucoid sputum is produced (except in young children, who don’t expectorate). Characteristic wheezing may be accompanied by coarse rhonchi, but fine crackles aren’t heard unless associated with a related complication. Between acute attacks, breath sounds may be normal.
The intensity of breath sounds in symptomatic asthma is typically reduced. A prolonged phase of forced expiration is typical of airflow obstruction. Evidence of lung hyperinflation (use of accessory muscles, for example) is particularly common in children. Acute attacks may be accompanied by tachycardia, tachypnea, and diaphoresis. In severe attacks, the patient may be unable to speak more than a few words without pausing for breath. Cyanosis, confusion, and lethargy indicate the onset of respiratory failure.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Asthma:
Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)
An acute asthma attack begins dramatically, with simultaneous onset of severe multiple symptoms, or insidiously, with gradually increasing respiratory distress. Asthma that occurs with cyanosis, confusion, and lethargy indicates the onset of life-threatening status asthmaticus and respiratory failure. Symptoms of bronchial airway obstruction may persist between acute episodes.
Signs and symptoms of asthma include:
In 1997, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health identified four levels of asthma severity based on the frequency of symptoms and exacerbations, effects on activity level, and lung function study results: mild intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent, and severe persistent.
Findings for mild intermittent asthma include the following:
Findings for mild persistent asthma include the following:
Findings for moderate persistent asthma include the following:
Findings for severe persistent asthma include the following:
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Asthma:
Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology (Excerpt)
It is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways characterized by coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. A variety of "triggers" may initiate or worsen an asthma attack, including viral respiratory infections, exercise, and exposure to irritants such as tobacco smoke. The physiological symptoms of asthma are a narrowing of the airways caused by edema (fluid in the intracellular tissue space) and the influx of inflammatory cells into the walls of the airways. (Source: Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology)
Asthma A Concern for Minority Populations, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID (Excerpt)
Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by episodes of airflow obstruction. Symptoms of an asthma attack include
- coughing
- wheezing
- shortness of breath
- chest tightness
NHLBI, Asthma & Physical Activity in the School: NHLBI (Excerpt)
Acute symptoms require prompt action to help students resume their activities as soon as possible. Prompt action is also required to prevent an episode from becoming more serious or even life-threatening. Table 3 lists the symptoms that indicate an acute asthma episode and the need for immediate action. The student's asthma plan and the school's emergency plan should be easily accessible so that all staff, substitutes, volunteers, and aides know what to do.
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Symptoms of exercise-induced asthma (coughing, wheezing, pain or chest tightness) may last several minutes to an hour or more. These symptoms are quite different from breathlessness (deep, rapid breathing) that quickly returns to normal after aerobic exercise (Source: excerpt from NHLBI, Asthma & Physical Activity in the School: NHLBI)
NHLBI, Asthma & Physical Activity in the School: NHLBI (Excerpt)
Students may have symptoms that do not indicate an acute episode needing immediate treatment, but instead indicate that their asthma is not under complete control. Table 4 lists these signs.
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Asthma as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions
When considering symptoms of Asthma, it is also important to consider Asthma as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Asthma may cause:
- Bronchospasm
- Cardiac arrest
- Chest expansion poor
- Chest hyperinflation
- Cough
- Eosinophilia
- Pectus carinatum
- Pneumothorax
- Pulsus paradoxus
- Respiratory failure
- Short stature
Asthma as a symptom:
For a more detailed analysis of Asthma as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Asthma.
Medical articles and books on symptoms:
These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
- Diagnostic Testing for a Diagnosis of Asthma
- Research Alternative Diagnoses for Asthma
- How serious is Asthma?
- More about Asthma
- Online Diagnosis
- Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
- Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
- Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
- Lesser known silent killer diseases
- Books on signs and symptoms
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
About signs and symptoms of Asthma:
The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Asthma. This signs and symptoms information for Asthma has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Asthma signs or Asthma symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Asthma may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Asthma symptoms.
» Next page: Diagnostic Tests for Asthma
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