Treatment of Symptoms of Bronchial Asthma

Written by An Yong Peng
Pulmonology
Updated on May 15, 2025
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Patients with bronchial asthma often exhibit symptoms such as episodic coughing, chest tightness, and wheezing. These symptoms typically occur when the patient inhales allergens, cold air, or experiences respiratory infections. Additionally, during an asthma attack, symptoms such as chest tightness tend to worsen at night and when lying flat, whereas they tend to alleviate during the day and when the patient is sitting or standing up. There are also some special types of bronchial asthma. For instance, some asthmatic patients may only exhibit coughing without obvious symptoms of chest tightness, wheezing, or breathing difficulties, which is known as cough-variant asthma. Some patients may only experience chest tightness without obvious wheezing or coughing. Lung auscultation may not reveal any wheezing sound, but treatment with inhaled corticosteroids and bronchodilators is effective; this condition is known as chest tightness-variant asthma. (Medication use should be under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
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Symptoms of bronchial asthma cough

Bronchial asthma can also manifest as a disease primarily characterized by coughing, which we call cough-variant asthma. It does not necessarily exhibit typical symptoms of bronchial asthma such as wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness; it manifests solely as coughing. This type of cough generally occurs more frequently in the early morning and at night, characterized primarily by a dry cough without mucus. If the coughing is severe, some chest tightness may occur, accompanied by symptoms such as an itchy nose, itchy throat, or the presence of hives, an allergic condition, which is different from ordinary coughs. Therefore, when these characteristics are present, attention should be paid to whether it is combined with bronchial asthma, rather than just a simple cold or bronchitis manifestation.

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Written by Feng Ying Shuai
Traditional Chinese Medicine
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Bronchial Asthma Massage Method

In clinical situations of acute exacerbations of bronchial asthma, or even normally, we can alleviate clinical symptoms through certain massage techniques. These methods mainly involve massaging specific acupoints to relieve asthma attacks and reduce their frequency. We can massage points along the lung meridian, such as Chize, Taiyuan, and Kongzui. Additionally, we can massage an extra-meridian acupoint called Dingchuan, as well as Lung Shu, Zhongfu, Tiantu, and Danzhong. Beyond these basic points, we also need to select acupoints based on the patient's condition. For example, if the patient's bronchial asthma is caused by exposure to cold wind, we can massage Fengmen. If the patient has excessive heat phlegm causing asthma, we can add Quze and Taibai to clear heat and transform phlegm.

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Written by Zeng Xiang Bo
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
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What are the complications of bronchial asthma?

The complications of bronchial asthma are divided into acute and chronic complications. Acute complications, which occur during a severe asthma attack, mainly include pneumothorax, mediastinal emphysema, severe hypoxia, respiratory failure, leading to severe arrhythmias, electrolyte disturbances, and in severe cases, coma and death. Chronic complications are mainly due to chronic changes in bronchial asthma leading to airway remodeling, chronic airway inflammation, and chronic narrowing. The complications at this stage mainly include chronic respiratory failure and pulmonary heart disease.

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Written by Wang Chun Mei
Pulmonology
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Do you need to take anti-inflammatory drugs for bronchial asthma?

Bronchial asthma is a very common asthmatic disease in clinical settings. There are numerous and complex factors that cause bronchial asthma. Therefore, in cases of bronchial asthma caused by bacterial infection leading to symptoms such as cough, phlegm, respiratory distress, and breathlessness, it is necessary to use appropriate anti-inflammatory drugs to alleviate these clinical discomforts. If the bronchial asthma is triggered by physical or chemical irritants, such as pollen, mites, animal dander, or harmful gases, leading to varying degrees of cough, breathlessness, respiratory distress, and chest tightness, anti-inflammatory drugs are generally not required. Instead, avoiding triggering factors and providing appropriate medication to relieve bronchial spasms can quickly control the asthma symptoms caused by bronchitis.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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What medicine is used for bronchial asthma?

Bronchial asthma, although common, currently has no specific treatment. The primary aim of medication is to control symptoms. There are two main types of medications used to treat asthma: one type is known as bronchodilators, commonly including receptor agonists, anticholinergics, and theophylline. The other type is anti-inflammatory drugs, commonly including corticosteroids, leukotriene modifiers, sodium cromoglycate, nedocromil sodium, and ketotifen. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a doctor, according to specific circumstances.)