Asthma is a breathing disorder that affects people of all ages. Asthma symptoms occur when the respiratory airways swell up, fill with mucus or become narrowed (a condition called bronchospasm). While its underlying cause has not yet been determined, the disease has a number of known triggers, including smoke from cigarettes or air pollution, pollen, animal dander, obesity, stress, cold and flu, physical exertion, cold air and preservatives in food. Persons who were born well underweight or have a genetic susceptibility to allergies appear to be more at risk. Asthma attacks can range from mild and manageable on one end of the spectrum to frighteningly severe with possible life-threatening implications on the other.
Pre-Attack Warning Signs
According to the Cleveland Clinic, asthma sufferers often receive some "early warning signs" before the onset of an episode of asthma, and these signs may also be indications that the general asthma condition is becoming worse. Some of these signs include difficulty sleeping, shortness of breath, feeling of weakness during exertion, episodes of coughing, diminished capacity to exhale, headache, irritability, weariness and allergic symptoms such as running nose, congestion or sore throat. Specialists recommend that asthma medication be taken immediately at such moments to head off the severity of an attack.
Normal Asthma Attacks
All asthma sufferers are acquainted with the condition's milder or more commonplace symptoms. According to the National Institutes of Health, these include coughing with or without phlegm, difficulty breathing especially during exercise, depressed skin between the ribs while breathing and episodes of wheezing that begin suddenly, worsen in cold air or with heartburn and go away either on their own or after using bronchodilators (such as an inhaler) to open the breathing passages.
Progression of the Disease
Asthma is deemed to be worsening when coughing and shortness of breath persist, the chest tightens and bronchodilators begin to have less satisfactory results. The most severe attacks of asthma, which are cause for emergency medical attention, have their own distinct signs.
Severe Symptoms
Asthma patients must realize that they are in a very serious situation when they experience symptoms that include any combination of intense wheezing (both on inhaling and exhaling), rapid breathing or loss of breath without ability to recover it, inability to exhale fully or speak, nonstop coughing, chest pain, racing pulse, sweating, paleness in the face, blue color in the fingernails or lips and an overall sensation of panic.
Delay Can Be Fatal
These severe symptoms are immediate cause for a 911 call for emergency medical attention. If they continue to worsen, you can find yourself in a situation of being unable to make the call without help.
