Asthma attack symptoms

Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
Updated on September 19, 2024
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The most common manifestation of an asthma attack is inspiratory difficulty breathing, occurring repeatedly. This respiratory difficulty can present as sitting up to breathe, dry cough, and may include white frothy sputum. Some patients, due to severe hypoxia, may develop cyanosis. Besides these typical symptoms, some patients may have cough-variant asthma or chest tightness-variant asthma. Cough-variant asthma can sometimes involve only coughing, which is mostly severe, dry, and more noticeable at night, unresponsive to antibiotic treatment. Additionally, there is a type of asthma characterized by chest tightness, primarily presenting as chest discomfort, and some patients may also experience nausea or other discomforts.

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Written by Li Jian Wu
Pulmonology
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Asthma is not contagious.

It should be correctly recognized that asthma is an autoimmune disease associated with allergic constitution and genetic factors. It is not caused by a substantial pathogenic bacterial infection and generally is not contagious. Therefore, asthma is not contagious. We should have a correct understanding of this disease. During an acute exacerbation, one could choose corticosteroid drugs, as well as antiallergic medications. Symptomatic treatments that relieve asthma symptoms and using oxygen to alleviate hypoxia are also options.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
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What department should I go to for asthma?

The asthma we usually talk about mainly refers to bronchial asthma, which is a respiratory system disease. The most suitable department to consult for bronchial asthma is the department of respiratory medicine, and in places where no specific department of respiratory medicine exists, the department of general internal medicine can be consulted. However, the precondition for consulting these departments is that the patient's condition must be stable. If a patient with bronchial asthma experiences a severe acute attack and has serious breathing difficulties, they must seek treatment in the emergency department. Additionally, some types of asthma refer to cardiac asthma, which, as the name suggests, is a cardiovascular disease and thus requires consultation in the department of cardiology.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
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Do people with asthma cough?

The asthma commonly referred to is bronchial asthma, which is primarily characterized by recurrent episodes of breathing difficulty. This difficulty in breathing is mainly manifested as chest tightness and shortness of breath. Additionally, asthma is often triggered by upper respiratory tract infections. Therefore, most asthma patients experience coughing and expectoration during acute attacks. There is also a special type of asthma known as cough variant asthma, which, as the name suggests, is primarily characterized by coughing. This type of cough is generally dry with little to no sputum, or it involves a small amount of mucous sputum. The coughing can occur during the day but is generally more pronounced at night.

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Written by Guo Xiao Yun
Pulmonology
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What are the symptoms of asthma?

Asthma is a chronic airway disease that clinically manifests as noticeable chest tightness and shortness of breath during acute attacks, especially when exposed to allergens such as cold air, pollen, animal dander, or consuming foods that are likely to cause allergies, such as eggs, milk, and seafood. This leads to high reactivity of the airways, causing spasms, and thus a range of clinical symptoms. In some patients, typical wheezing sounds can also be heard in the lungs. Asthma is a chronic disease that cannot be completely cured. During acute attacks, it is recommended to quickly remove oneself from allergens and actively administer antispasmodic and asthma-relieving medications to significantly improve symptoms of chest tightness and shortness of breath.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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Is cough variant asthma considered asthma?

Cough variant asthma is asthma, and it can be definitively said that cough variant asthma is a type of asthma. Typical asthma generally involves episodic symptoms such as chest tightness, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. However, cough variant asthma is primarily characterized by coughing symptoms, often occurring at night. Therefore, cough variant asthma is also asthma, and the treatment is the same as typical asthma, where bronchodilator medications can be used for treatment.