Does bronchial asthma cause coughing?

Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
Updated on March 27, 2025
00:00
00:00

Bronchial asthma is a common clinical disease, with main symptoms including paroxysmal wheezing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing, etc. So, does bronchial asthma also present with coughing symptoms? Indeed, bronchial asthma can also manifest with coughing symptoms, especially the atypical cough variant asthma which is primarily characterized by chronic cough. Moreover, the symptoms of cough often occur at night or early morning, and the coughing can be quite significant, severely affecting the patient's sleep quality. If cough variant asthma is suspected, it is important to visit a hospital in a timely manner for relevant examinations and the treatment principles are the same as for typical asthma.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by An Yong Peng
Pulmonology
43sec home-news-image

Can bronchial asthma cure itself?

Bronchial asthma generally cannot heal on its own. Bronchial asthma is a chronic, recurrent disease, which is usually incurable. Even with standard treatment, a complete cure is often unachievable. However, during an acute attack of bronchial asthma, spontaneous remission is possible. Some mild acute attacks of bronchial asthma may simply require removing the allergen and hazardous factors, which can lead to spontaneous alleviation of the asthma symptoms. For bronchial asthma, long-term standard treatment is usually required, such as the inhalation of corticosteroids and the use of bronchodilators. Additionally, it is important to avoid allergens and prevent respiratory infections.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Li Bing
Intensive Care Medicine Department
38sec home-news-image

How to treat bronchial asthma?

After the onset of bronchial asthma, it is necessary to carry out active treatment. In clinical practice, the following categories of bronchodilator drugs are mainly used: The first is adrenergic receptor agonists, such as salbutamol and terbutaline; the second is anticholinergic drugs, mainly tiotropium bromide; the third category is xanthine drugs, which can include aminophylline or doxophylline. Additionally, glucocorticoids can be used for pharmacological treatment. If the patient still has recurrent attacks after systemic treatment, hospitalization is recommended for further management.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
1min 5sec home-news-image

Which department should I go to for bronchial asthma?

In our common areas, we would visit the Department of Respiratory Medicine for conditions such as bronchial asthma, which is a respiratory system disease. The Department of Respiratory Medicine is the most specialized department for treating bronchial asthma. However, in some areas, such as those below the county level like town health centers or community clinics, a respiratory medicine department might not be available. In such cases, we can only visit the general internal medicine department, also known as the major internal medicine department. Generally, bronchial asthma is treated in the outpatient clinics of these departments. However, if an acute attack of bronchial asthma occurs, causing breathing difficulties and a sudden exacerbation of the condition, it then becomes necessary to visit the emergency medicine department. Emergency doctors will handle the situation and then decide whether the patient should continue treatment under observation in the emergency department or need hospitalization, etc.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zeng Xiang Bo
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
44sec home-news-image

Which antibody will increase in bronchial asthma?

Bronchial asthma is a type of chronic allergic inflammation of the airway, commonly referred to as allergic inflammation. Therefore, in laboratory tests, there will be an increase in some antibodies, among which the two main types are the first category being IgE antibodies, which usually exceed 200 IU/ml. The elevation of IgE antibodies indicates that the body is in an allergic state; the other type of antibody is specific antibodies, for example, if I am allergic to fungi, then my fungal antibody levels will be elevated, and if I am allergic to peanuts, then testing for specific peanut antibodies will show an increase. Thus, it is a type of specific antibody that indicates an allergy to certain substances.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zeng Xiang Bo
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
38sec home-news-image

What position should be adopted for bronchial asthma?

The postures of patients with bronchial asthma vary depending on the severity and extent of the attack. For patients with mild symptoms, they can assume any posture they prefer without any impact; they can sleep however they wish. However, during severe asthma attacks, patients are forced to adopt a semi-sitting or upright sitting position to breathe. This isn't a choice, but a necessity when the disease reaches a severe stage, where such positions might slightly ease breathing. Many asthmatic patients cannot lie down at all during serious attacks, as lying down would intensify their chest tightness and breathing difficulties.