Asthma is an ailment that affects more than 20 million children and adults in the United States. Too many cases go untreated because the individual doesn’t realize it is asthma. It is commonly confused with allergies and with a panic attack. Knowing the various symptoms of asthma can help you decide if you should seek medical attention. Your doctor can do a complete assessment and let you know if you or your child is suffering from asthma.
Coughing is a common symptom of asthma. The cough is often very deep and can be felt in the chest area. Most of the time the coughing occurs when the person is laying down at night. It can disrupt sleep and cause the person to wake up very tired. In many instances the coughing can be severe enough to wake the individual up.
Wheezing is a very significant sign of asthma because it means you aren’t being able to take in enough air. This is usually accompanied by a whistling or squeaking sound as you try to breath in.
If you experience a tight feeling in your chest it could be the result of asthma. The most common symptom of asthma is feeling like you can’t get enough air with each breath. This can cause you to breath faster to try to get enough air. It is the combination of these two symptoms that often lead the individual to believe they are suffering from a panic attack instead of from an asthma attack.
The frequency of asthma attacks depends on the individual and the types of triggers in their environment that are causing them. Even if you only experience them occasionally you need to seek medical treatment. It is common for asthma attacks to increase in severity as time goes by. You may think you can deal with them because of how mild the attacks have been. However there is no guarantee that the next asthma attack will be the same.
It is important to realize that each person will be affected by asthma differently. The symptoms will vary in severity. Some individuals only have one or two symptoms while others have a handful of them. Getting the right treatment for asthma is important so if you have even one of the above mentioned symptoms you should schedule an appointment with your doctor to discuss it.
