Asthma, a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the airways, affects about 7 percent of the United States population, according to Merck.com. Pulmonary function tests provide information to physicians for an accurate diagnosis. Many symptoms accompany asthma, including symptoms involving the thoracic cavity, or the chest.
Intercostal Retractions
Asthma may cause intercostal retraction, or the proximal movement of rib muscles due to decreased chest cavity pressure. According to the National Institutes of Health, the intercostal muscles--the muscles located between the ribs--retract through a suction mechanism that pulls the muscles inward. This results in restricted movement of the chest cavity, causing airway obstruction. In normal breathing, the chest wall has a flexible motion, with the ribs able to contract and expand; the intercostal muscles contract, raising the rib cage. The intercostal muscle contraction, combined with diaphragmatic contraction, results in negative pressure in the lungs. This vacuum causes air to fill the lungs. Therefore, the airway obstruction is a result of ineffective negative pressure generation in the lungs.
Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, inflicts people with asthma through chest tightness or feelings of suffocation. The American Thoracic Society states that dyspnea is a subjective experience, but has multiple biological, psychological, social and environmental interactions. Dyspnea has five clinical grade levels, ranging from zero to 4. A grade of zero indicates dyspnea occurs during exercise, and a grade of 4 indicates dyspnea occurs with common daily activities, such as getting dressed.
Coughing
A common concern for people with asthma is chronic cough. Patients with asthma can experience a worsening cough due to cold air, allergens or airborne irritant exposure. The National Lung Health Education Program states that post-nasal drip, gastroesophegeal reflux disease, commonly known as GERD, or congestive heart failure may cause a nocturnal cough, or coughing while sleeping.
Asthma-related coughing could involve the presence of other symptoms, such as wheezing, nasal polyps or thyroid enlargement. Although coughing may not directly cause chest pain in people with asthma, the convulsive motion associated with coughing may irritate patients already inflicted with chest pain.
