Asthma Symptoms & Treatment

Allergy-related asthma is caused when individuals who suffer from allergies develop asthma when allergens enter the body through the airway. Another type of asthma is exercise induced. Exercise-induced asthma occurs during or right after exercise, or after any type of physical activity has been performed. An individual may also fall victim to the third type of asthma, cough variant. Cough variant asthma can be seen when the sufferer coughs frequently; they may also suffer from several respiratory infections. The next type of asthma is not as common as the others--occupational asthma occurs only during a person's work hours. This is caused when something at their workplace triggers the symptoms. The individual is fine when they are not at work. The final type of asthma is a night-time asthma. Night-time asthma occurs at night when an individual is sleeping, or trying to sleep. Individuals will want to seek help, since night-time asthma is dangerous.

Asthma affects a person's airway. The airway can close in, become inflamed and even fill with mucous. This causes the most common asthma symptoms. One of the most common symptoms is wheezing. If it is a mild case, your doctor can hear it with his stethoscope. The second most common symptom is coughing. This usually happens during play, exercise, laughing or anytime you are exerting yourself physically. Next, an asthma sufferer can expect to feel like they can't breathe and may notice that their chest is feeling tight. It can be uncomfortable, but not terribly painful.

There are also some symptoms that are not as common, but still worth noting. In addition to feeling like you can't breathe, you may begin to notice that you are breathing more rapidly. You may also feel tired or weak. Those are hard symptoms to classify, since they can also be from many other things. Another uncommon symptom is having trouble sleeping. Asthma can affect individuals at night if they are laying flat on their backs. If they sleep sitting up, they will not experience the symptom. Asthma can also cause individuals to experience some anxious feelings. Finally, the most uncommon asthma symptom you may experience is constant sighing.

Treatment is very important. It should begin as soon as you realize that you are having an attack. A doctor will give you an inhaler to use at home. The inhaler should be kept with you everywhere you go. One dose of an inhaler should keep you symptom-free for twelve hours. The doctor will also treat you with regular nebulizer treatments. He may give you one in the office, and the rest you can do at home. The nebulizer takes the medicine and turns it in to a mist that you can breathe in. If you are having short periods of breathing trouble, your doctor can prescribe Prednisone. Prednisone should not be taken longer than two weeks, but it is highly effective.

If your doctor suspects that your asthma is caused by your allergies, he or she may want to treat you for the allergies with allergy medication. By doing this, your chances of suffering an asthma attack decrease. You should also avoid any known triggers such as pets or animals. Finally, your doctor may want to treat you with a long-term asthma medicine. Inhalers are great for emergencies, but asthma sufferers can also be put on a daily regiment of either Pulmicort or Singulair to prevent attacks. Talk with your doctor if the normal treatments for asthma are not working.