A Cough That Doesn’t Go Away
Signs of an asthma attack can change from one attack to the next. One time you might have little or no coughing beforehand. The next time, you might have a cough that you just can’t get rid of, especially at night.
An asthma cough is usually dry and hacking. If you have one that doesn’t go away after other cold symptoms are gone, that could point to asthma.
Avoid taking cough medicine to feel better. It won’t help the asthma.
Symptoms Of Asthma Emergencies In Children
The signs of an asthma emergency include when the child:
- finds it very difficult to breathe or is not breathing
- is unable to speak comfortably or complete sentences without losing breath
- has lips turn blue
- has symptoms that get worse very quickly
- has tugging in of the skin between ribs or at the base of the neck
- is getting little or no relief from their reliever inhaler, or their reliever inhaler is not available.
Treatment For Asthma Emergencies In Children
An asthma attack can quickly become an asthma emergency, but if you take quick action, you can reduce the risk of this happening. So, if the symptoms of an asthma attack appear, follow your childs asthma action plan.
If your child is experiencing a severe or life-threatening asthma attack, call triple zero for an ambulance and then start asthma first aid.:
- Sit the child upright.
- Give 4 puffs of reliever medication , taking 4 breaths for each puff. Use a spacer and mask if one is available.
- Wait 4 minutes if the child still cannot breathe normally, give 4 more puffs.
- Continue to give 4 separate puffs of reliever medication, taking 4 breaths for each puff, every 4 minutes until the ambulance arrives.
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How Is A Severe Asthma Attack Treated At The Hospital
If you experience difficulty breathing that does not improve with at-home treatment, seek medical attention.
Asthma treatment at the hospital could include typical at-home asthma medications combined with additional treatments such as supplemental oxygen, bronchodilators, and corticosteroids.
Some cases of asthma are so severe that a healthcare provider could recommend a procedure called bronchial thermoplastythat uses heat to soften the airways that constrict during an asthma attack.
The length of hospitalization can vary from person to person. Some people with severe asthma are treated in the emergency room but never admitted to the hospital. Regardless of admission, anyone who is treated at a hospital will be sent home with instructions on how to treat their asthma at home.
Discharge instructions following an asthma attack will advise the patient to avoid allergy triggers and follow up with their provider to adjust the asthma plan as needed. The instructions could also include additional medications, such as oral corticosteroids, to treat and prevent future attacks.
Some Asthma Symptoms Are Only Present During An Asthma Attack
An asthma attack is when a persons asthma symptoms become worse or more noticeable. During an attack, the muscles around the airways tighten more than usual, and the airways produce an overabundance of mucus.
The typical signs of an asthma attack can include any of the following:
Wheezing This refers to a whistling or squeaky, almost musical sound during breathing.
Shortness of Breath This simply means feeling like you cant get enough air into your lungs.
Rapid Breathing In response to not getting enough air in each breath, your body may speed up your rate of breathing.
Coughing A cough during an asthma attack may contain phlegm.
Chest Tightness This can take the form of pain, pressure, or feeling like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.
Not everyone with asthma experiences symptoms the same way, and asthma symptoms can differ between attacks. Asthma attacks require immediate treatment with a rescue or quick-relief inhaler or other medication recommended by your doctor.
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Medical History And Physical Exam
Your doctor will ask about your risk factors for asthma and your symptoms. They may ask also about any known allergies. This includes how often symptoms occur, what seems to trigger your symptoms, when or where symptoms occur, and if your symptoms wake you up at night.
During the physical exam, your doctor may:
- Listen to your breathing and look for symptoms of asthma
- Look for allergic skin conditions, such as eczema
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Learn Your Asthma Symptoms And Signs
And make sure that you share them with others around you. This will come in handy and can be used as part of your asthma action plan to help you decide what actions to take. Be sure to listen to others as they try to help you decide what actions to take. This is the best plan for keeping your breathing easy.
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When Is It Serious
To help you know when you need medical attention, use a peak flow meter every day so you know how much air typically flows out of your lungs. People with asthma have a lower air flow in and out of their lungs. By tracking your peak flow levels regularly, you can spot problems early before you experience annoying or dangerous symptoms. A meter will also tell you and your doctor how serious your asthma attacks are. That way youll know when to take medicine or seek emergency care. And peak flow readings can also help you pinpoint your asthma triggers.
Some signs that your asthma is worse:
- Having symptoms at night
- rescue medicine more often
Call your doctor or 911 if you experience extreme symptoms like blue lips or fingernails, or severe trouble breathing.
If you need medical assistance, contact CareFinders at 1-866-608-FIND to make an appointment with a physician, or call 911 immediately if it is an emergency.
Know The Asthma Symptoms In Children
Asthma affects as many as 10% to 12% of children in the United States and is the leading cause of chronic illness in children. For unknown reasons, the incidence of asthma in children is steadily increasing. While asthma symptoms can begin at any age, most children have their first asthma symptoms by age 5.
Not all children with asthma wheeze. Chronic coughing with asthma may be the only obvious sign, and a childâs asthma may go unrecognized if the cough is attributed to recurrent bronchitis.
For more detail, see WebMDâs Asthma in Children.
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Who Can Get Asthma
Anyone can develop asthma at any age. People with allergies or people exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to develop asthma. This includes secondhand smoke and thirdhand smoke .
Statistics show that people assigned female at birth tend to have asthma more than people assigned male at birth. Asthma affects Black people more frequently than other races.
What Is A Severe Asthma Attack
A severe asthma attack is a potentially life threatening event. Symptoms of a severe attack might be similar to the symptoms of a minor asthma attack, especially at first.
The difference is that severe attacks dont improve with home treatment. These events need emergency medical treatment to prevent death. If you suspect you or a loved one is having a severe asthma attack, go to an emergency room right away.
By contrast, a mild asthma attack may only last a few minutes and will respond to rescue medication.
A moderate asthma attack will last longer and may not respond to rescue medication right away.
If quick-relief medication fails to work after 10 to 15 minutes, go to the emergency room.
A severe asthma attack starts a lot like a minor asthma attack.
Early signs of asthma attacks include:
- severe coughing
You might feel mucus buildup and some chest pain due to your bronchial tubes narrowing. Youll likely wheeze and cough. Breathing is a challenge, especially during activities like walking. It can be difficult to talk as well.
Given that these symptoms are like a minor asthma attack, what makes a severe asthma attack different?
The key is treatment response.
Youll know your asthma attack is severe if your symptoms dont improve with your routine treatment measures, such as your rescue inhaler.
This scale uses four designations that include:
On the other hand, Johns Hopkins Medicine uses colors to indicate three peak flow zones: green, yellow, and red.
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Asthma Emergencies In Children
Symptoms of an asthma attack can worsen and develop into an asthma emergency. To prepare for an asthma emergency, make sure your childs doctor has written an asthma action plan for your child.
Have a copy of your childs asthma action plan pinned up somewhere easy to access at home, and send a copy to anyone who cares for your child, including their school, kinder, childcare service, family members and friends. You may like to take a photo of their asthma action plan so you always have a copy with you.
Global Asthma Warning Sensors Market Report 2022
DUBLIN, Nov. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ The Global Asthma Warning Sensors Market, By Type , By Technology , By Parameter Measured , By End User, By Region, Competition Forecast and Opportunities, 2027 report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.coms offering.
Global asthma warning sensors market is expected to show robust growth with an impressive CAGR in the forecast period, 2017-2027 on the account of rapidly increasing instances of asthma among the population
The need to monitor asthma cases and conditions in the population to avoid attacks and related morbidity is driving the growth of the global asthma warning sensors market in the upcoming five years. Moreover, depleting environmental conditions and increasing pollution ratios are further supporting the growth of the global asthma warning sensors market in the next five years.
Non-wearable sensors are expected to hold the largest revenue shares of the market and dominate the market segment in the future five years due to consistent demand from the asthma patients. Moreover, increasing instances and rapidly increasing cases of asthma is also driving the growth of the global asthma warning sensors market in the forecast period.Holding the major shares of the global asthma warning sensors market are AT& T Inc., Siemens Healthineers AG, Sparo Labs, Reciprocal Labs Corporation , AlerSense Inc., among others. Market players are actively involved in the research and technological development in the product developments.
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What Does Asthma Feel Like
Asthma is characterized by inflammation of the bronchial tubes with increased production of sticky secretions inside the tubes. People with asthma experience symptoms when the airways tighten, inflame, or fill with mucus. Common asthma symptoms include:
- Coughing, especially at night
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness, pain, or pressure
Still, not every person with asthma has the same symptoms in the same way. You may not have all of these symptoms, or you may have different symptoms at different times. Your asthma symptoms may also vary from one asthma attack to the next, being mild during one and severe during another.
Some people with asthma may go for extended periods without having any symptoms, interrupted by periodic worsening of their symptoms called asthma attacks. Others might have asthma symptoms every day. In addition, some people may only have asthma during exercise, or asthma with viral infections like colds.
Mild asthma attacks are generally more common. Usually, the airways open up within a few minutes to a few hours. Severe attacks are less common but last longer and require immediate medical help. It is important to recognize and treat even mild asthma symptoms to help you prevent severe episodes and keep asthma under better control.
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Why Is My Asthma Worse At Night
Asthma that gets worse at night is sometimes called nighttime asthma or nocturnal asthma. There are no definite reasons that this happens, but there are some educated guesses. These include:
- The way you sleep: Sleeping on your back can result in mucus dripping into your throat or acid reflux coming back up from your stomach. Also, sleeping on your back puts pressure on your chest and lungs, which makes breathing more difficult. However, lying face down or on your side can put pressure on your lungs.
- Triggers in your bedroom and triggers that happen in the evening: You may find your blankets, sheets and pillows have dust mites, mold or pet hair on them. If youve been outside in the early evening, you may have brought pollen in with you.
- Medication side effects: Some drugs that treat asthma, such as steroids and montelukast, can affect your sleep.
- Air thats too hot or too cold: Hot air can cause airways to narrow when you breathe in. Cold air is an asthma trigger for some people.
- Lung function changes: Lung function lessens at night as a natural process.
- Asthma is poorly controlled during the day: Symptoms that arent controlled during the day wont be better at night. Its important to work with your provider to make sure your asthma symptoms are controlled both day and night. Treating nighttime symptoms is very important. Serious asthma attacks, and sometimes deaths, can happen at night.
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When It Gets Worse
Signs of worsening asthma include:
- Feeling panicky
- Wheezing when you breathe both in and out
- Inability to stop coughing
- Having trouble talking or walking
- Getting a tight neck and chest muscles
- Having a pale, sweaty face
Follow the “Red Zone” or emergency instructions in your asthma action plan. Call 911 or get to the hospital. You need medical attention right away.
What Causes Asthma Flare
People with asthma have airways that are overly sensitive to some things . Being around triggers can bring on asthma symptoms.
The most common trigger in kids are viral respiratory infections, such as colds. Other common triggers include:
- viral infections
Many people with asthma also have allergies, which are another important flare-up trigger.
If not treated, a flare-up can last for several hours or even days. Quick-relief medicines often stop the symptoms pretty quickly. A person should feel better once the flare-up ends, although this can take several days, especially if a viral infection was the trigger.
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What Happens If An Asthma Attack Goes Untreated
Without immediate asthma medicine and asthma treatment, your breathing may 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 may be unable to use the peak flow meter at all. Gradually, your lungs may 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 need to be taken to a hospital immediately with a severe asthma attack. Call 911 for help. 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 may eventually be unable to speak and can 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.
Vaping And Lung Damage
- Talk with your teen about the dangers of vaping.
- Vaping can cause severe lung damage. It can become permanent.
- Vaping can even cause death .
- Vaping tobacco also causes nicotine addiction.
- For these reasons, the legal age to purchase vaping products is 21 in the US.
- Encourage your teen to not start vaping or to give it up.
- Warning: home-made or street-purchased vaping solutions are the most dangerous.
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Advice For Friends And Family
It’s important that your friends and family know how to help in an emergency.
It can be useful to make copies of your personal asthma action plan and share it with others who may need to know what to do when you have an attack.
You can photocopy your existing plan, or you could download a blank personal asthma action plan from Asthma UK and fill it in for anyone who might need a copy.
Or you could take a photo of your action plan on your phone, so you can show or send it to others easily.
Page last reviewed: 19 April 2021 Next review due: 19 April 2024
What Are Asthma Symptoms
Heres the thing with asthma: Not every person experiences the same symptoms in the same way asthma symptoms may also vary from attack to attack. Whats more, one episode may be mild while the next is severe. Some asthmatics have symptoms every day while others may go for long periods without any at all. And a percent of people with asthma will only experience symptoms when they develop a cold or exercise.
Still, there are some hallmark asthma symptoms that occur for nearly everyone who develops this condition. These are a few red flags to look for:
-
Attacks of coughing and wheezing that get worse when you have a respiratory illness
-
Feeling short of breath, like you cant take in enough air
-
Making a whistling or wheezing sound while breathing
-
Rapid, shallow breathing
-
Tightness, pain, or pressure in your chest
-
Trouble sleeping due to coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath
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