Asthma Attack Symptoms, Types Diagnosis and Tests

Asthma Attack

What Is an Asthma Attack?

An asthma attack is a sudden worsening of asthma symptoms caused by the tightening of muscles around your airways (bronchospasm). During the asthma attack, the lining of the airways also becomes swollen or inflamed and thicker mucus -- more than normal -- is produced. All of these factors -- bronchospasm, inflammation, and mucus production -- cause symptoms of an asthma attack such as difficulty breathing, wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and difficulty performing normal daily activities. Other symptoms of an asthma attack may include:

• Severe wheezing when breathing both in and out
• Coughing that won't stop
• Very rapid breathing
• Chest pain or pressure
• Tightened neck and chest muscles, called retractions
• Difficulty talking
• Feelings of anxiety or panic
• Pale, sweaty face
• Blue lips or fingernails
• Or worsening symptoms despite use of your medications

Call Emergency Service if you have any of these symptoms.

 What Happens if an Asthma Attack Goes Untreated?

Without immediate asthma medicine and asthma treatment, your breathing will become more labored, and wheezing may get louder. If you use a peak flow meter during an asthma attack, your reading will probably be less than your personal best.

As your lungs continue to tighten during the asthma attack, you will be unable to use the peak flow meter at all. Gradually, your lungs will tighten so much during the asthma attack that there is not enough air movement to produce wheezing. This is sometimes called the "silent chest," and it is a dangerous sign. You may need to be taken to a hospital immediately with a severe asthma attack. Unfortunately, some people interpret the disappearance of wheezing during the asthma attack as a sign of improvement and fail to get prompt emergency care.

If you do not receive adequate treatment for an asthma attack, you will eventually be unable to speak and will develop a bluish coloring around your lips. This color change, known as "cyanosis," means you have less and less oxygen in your blood. Without immediate aggressive treatment in an emergency room or intensive care unit, you may lose consciousness and eventually die.

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How Do I Recognize the Early Signs of an Asthma Attack?

Early warning signs are changes that happen just before or at the very beginning of an asthma attack. These changes start before the well-known symptoms of asthma and are the earliest signs that your asthma is worsening.

Early warning signs of an asthma attack include:

• Frequent cough, especially at night
• Reduced peak flow meter readings
• Losing your breath easily or shortness of breath
• Feeling very tired or weak when exercising
• Wheezing or coughing during or after exercise (exercise-induced asthma)
• Feeling tired, easily upset, grouchy, or moody
• Decreases or changes in lung function as measured on a peak flow meter
• Signs of a cold or allergies (sneezing, runny nose, cough, nasal congestion,sore throat, and headache)
• Trouble sleeping with nighttime asthma

The severity of an asthma attack can escalate rapidly, so it's important to treat these symptoms immediately once you recognize them.

Symptoms & Types

Can you recognize the many common -- and uncommon -- symptoms of asthma? Without a good understanding of the different asthma symptoms and the various types of asthma, it's difficult to treat this condition with medications and breathe easier. Learn more and prevent asthma attacks.

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Symptoms

Asthma Symptoms

Do you have to wheeze in order to have asthma? Not at all! Discover the specific signs and symptoms of asthma. Find out how early treatment can help you manage asthma symptoms and live an active life.

Hypoxia and Hypoxemia

Hypoxemia (low oxygen in your blood) can cause hypoxia (low oxygen in your tissues). Read more about this serious condition that can sometimes be caused by asthma attacks.

Types

Do you know about the different  types of asthma? Learn about these types so you can seek effective treatment when you do have a breathing problem.

Allergic Asthma

Allergies and asthma often go hand-in-hand. Allergic rhinitis (also called hay fever) is inflammation of the inside lining of the nose and is the single most common chronic allergic disease. In those with allergic rhinitis, increased sensitivity (allergy) to a substance causes your body’s immune cells to release histamines in response to contact with the allergens. Histamines, along with other chemicals, lead to allergy symptoms. The most common allergens enter the body through the airway.

With allergic rhinitis, you may feel a constant runny nose, ongoing sneezing, swollen nasal passages, excess mucus, weepy eyes, and a scratchy throat. A cough may result from the constant postnasal drip. Many times asthma symptoms are triggered by allergic rhinitis. Your doctor may prescribe medications to control the allergies and, in doing so, the cough and other asthma symptoms may subside.

Cough-Variant Asthma

In the type of asthma called cough-variant asthma, severe coughing is the predominant symptom. There can be other causes of cough such as postnasal drip, chronic rhinitis, sinusitis, or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD or heartburn). Coughing because of sinusitis with asthma is common.

Cough-variant asthma is vastly underdiagnosed and undertreated. Asthma triggers for cough-variant asthma are usually respiratory infections and exercise.

For any persistent cough, contact your doctor. Your doctor may order specific asthma tests, such as lung function tests, to show how well your lungs work. You might need to see a lung specialist for further tests before an asthma diagnosis is made.

Occupational Asthma (Work-Related Asthma)

Occupational asthma is asthma caused by, or worsened by, exposure to substances in the workplace. These substances may cause asthma in one of 3 ways:

Ø  An allergic reaction (like people with allergies who develop allergic asthma)

Ø  An irritant reaction (like a person that reacts to smoking with asthma)

Ø  A reaction which results in chemicals that occur naturally in the body, building up in the lung and resulting in an asthma attack

Nocturnal Asthma (Nighttime Asthma)

Nocturnal asthma, with symptoms like chest tightness, shortness of breath, cough, and wheezing at night, can make sleep impossible and leave you feeling tired and irritable during the day. These problems may affect your overall quality of life and make it more difficult to control your daytime asthma symptoms.

Nocturnal or nighttime asthma is very serious. It needs a properasthma diagnosis and effective asthma treatment.

Health Conditions That Mimic Asthma

Just because you have symptoms of asthma, such as wheezing, coughing, or difficulty breathing does not mean that you have asthma. Other health conditions have symptoms that may mimic asthma symptoms. Let’s look at some common "asthma mimics."

Conditions that can mimic asthma include:

Ø  Sinusitis: Also called a sinus infection; an inflammation or swelling of the sinuses. Sinusitis and asthma often coexist.

Ø  Myocardial ischemia: A disease of heart function characterized by inadequate blood flow to the muscle tissue of the heart. The main symptom of a heart attack is pain, but shortness of breath is another possible symptom of heart disease.

Ø  Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): A disorder in which stomach contents and acid flow back into the esophagus, causing frequent heartburn. Heartburn can cause asthma symptoms.

Ø  Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): A general term for several lung diseases, most commonly emphysema and chronic bronchitis, most commonly caused by cigarette smoking.

Ø  Congestive heart failure: A heart condition in which the heart does not pump correctly, leading to a buildup of fluid in the lungs. This can cause exercise intolerance and shortness of breath.

Ø  Bronchiectasis: Lung disease characterized by injury to the walls of the airways in the lungs; main cause is repeated infection.

Ø  Upper airflow obstruction: A condition in which the flow of air is blocked by something, including enlarged thyroid glands or tumors.

Ø  Vocal cord dysfunction: A condition in which the larynx (voice box) muscles close rapidly, causing difficulties in breathing.

Ø  Vocal cord paralysis: Loss of function of vocal cords.

Ø  Bronchogenic carcinoma: Lung cancer.

Ø  Aspiration: Accidentally breathing food or other matter into the lungs.

Ø  Pulmonary aspergillosis: Fungal infection of lung tissues.

Ø  Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): This virus can cause wheezing and pneumonia in children and may lead to childhood asthma.

Diagnosis & Tests

Knowing all about your asthma triggers and symptoms can help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the most effective treatment. Learn about the tests your doctor may use to make an asthma diagnosis. Discover more about lung or pulmonary function tests and the different tests used for allergy and asthma. 

Diagnosis

Problems With Diagnosing Asthma

The problem with diagnosing asthma is most of the time patients do not have obvious asthma symptoms when they arrive at the doctor’s office. For instance, you may have coughed and wheezed for a week, and by the time you see your doctor, you have no symptoms at all. Then suddenly, when you least expect it, you might have asthma attack symptoms such as shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing. Sometimes allergies to seasonal pollen or weather changes can trigger asthma attack symptoms. Other times, a viral infection such as cold or flu can trigger asthma attack symptoms. Smoking can worsen asthma symptoms, as can sinusitis or environmental allergies. Even exercise or sudden stress or allergies to aspirin or other medications can cause asthma attack symptoms.

If you have asthma, you may go for weeks to months without having any asthma symptoms. That makes diagnosing asthma even more difficult -- unless you do some homework, figure out your asthma triggers and causes of asthma, and help your doctor make an accurate asthma diagnosis. Once an accurate diagnosis is made, you can learn to recognize and treat your asthma symptoms with the right medications so you don’t have asthma symptoms that can interfere with your daily life.

Diagnosing Asthma and Your Doctor

Your doctor or asthma specialist plays the first and most significant role in helping you get control of your asthma. Not only does your doctor serve as the one who can accurately diagnose and prescribe treatment for your asthma, your doctor may become a close, dependable friend who can give you support when your concerns turn into ongoing worries and anxieties.

At the initial exam, your doctor will obtain a detailed medical history, including any information on asthma symptoms, how you feel, known asthma and allergy triggers, your activity level and diet, your home and work environment, and family history.  During this evaluation, it is important that you talk openly with your doctor about your asthma symptoms and triggers. Some questions you might consider beforehand include:

1. Can you describe your asthma symptoms?

(Check the following asthma signs and symptoms that apply to you)

____Shortness of breath

____Wheezing, possibly triggered by allergies, a cold, sinus infection, or bronchitis

____Frequent cough or just coughing at night

____Severe wheezing when breathing both in and out

____Rapid breathing

Tests

Asthma Tests

There are several asthma tests your doctor may use to make an asthma diagnosis. Read about the most common asthma tests before your next appointment.

Pulmonary Function Tests (Lung Function)

To determine if you have asthma or other lung problems, your doctor will perform lung function or pulmonary function tests. Learn more about lung function tests so you'll know what to expect as your doctor makes a diagnosis.

Allergy Tests for Asthma

Almost anything can trigger an allergic reaction. Learn about allergy tests and how they are used to make a diagnosis of allergies or asthma. Find out how to prepare for allergy tests.

Function Tests (Lung Function)

To determine if you have asthma or other lung problems, your doctor will perform lung function or pulmonary function tests. Learn more about lung function tests so you'll know what to expect as your doctor makes a diagnosis.

Allergy Tests for Asthma

Almost anything can trigger an allergic reaction. Learn about allergy tests and how they are used to make a diagnosis of allergies or asthma. Find out how to prepare for allergy tests.

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