About 25 million Americans have asthma, including roughly 8% of adults and 7% of kids. While asthma affects millions of men and women, it’s the most common chronic disease among children and teens.
Asthma can interfere with many activities, especially if you don’t have a management plan in place. Symptom flare-ups — also called asthma attacks — can even have life-threatening consequences.
The team at Primary Care Associates helps patients manage their symptoms and prevent attacks with custom care asthma solutions fine-tuned to each patient’s unique and evolving needs. Getting treatment for asthma begins by recognizing the symptoms so our providers can evaluate you.
Asthma is a chronic, lifelong condition that happens when your airways get irritated and inflamed, resulting in specific symptoms like the five listed below.
Wheezing is one of the most common asthma symptoms, causing a “whistling” or “squeaking” noise when you breathe. Most people who have asthma wheeze, although sometimes, noises are only heard through a stethoscope. Asthma without wheezing is much less common — so uncommon that it’s sometimes called atypical asthma.
Chronic coughing is a ubiquitous symptom of asthma. Coughing may get worse with exercise, temperature changes, or at night when you’re trying to rest. Colds and other upper respiratory illnesses can also exacerbate coughing in people with asthma.
Also called dyspnea, shortness of breath happens when your airways constrict or tighten due to underlying inflammation and irritation. Shortness of breath often accompanies chronic coughing episodes, and it can also interfere with sleep.
Irritation and inflammation in your airways often lead to excess mucus production. You may also produce more mucus when you cough. When excess mucus and airway tightening occur together, it can be a lot harder to breathe.
Tightness or discomfort in your chest area is another relatively common asthma symptom associated with underlying inflammation in your airways. Chest tightness and pain are also common right before an asthma attack as inflammation increases. These symptoms can also be a sign of a heart attack or a lung-related ailment.
Asthma symptoms can vary, both in the type of symptoms and in their severity. Many people notice their symptoms are worse when they exercise or participate in strenuous physical activity. In contrast, others find symptoms are triggered by mold, dust, chemical fumes, or other irritants.
What’s more, you don’t have to have all these symptoms to have asthma. If you have any of these symptoms, it’s worth having them evaluated for asthma or other causes.
Asthma can have serious effects on your health and your quality of life, too. The good news is that asthma symptoms can be controlled with a custom asthma management plan based on your needs and symptoms.
If you think you have asthma or if you’ve already been diagnosed with asthma, our team can develop a management plan for you. To learn how, call Primary Care Associates in Frederick or Clarksburg, Maryland, or book an appointment online today.
