Learning to recognize and react to asthma signs and symptoms is essential to accurate disease diagnosis and control.

Asthma Symptoms

Your first experience with asthma is likely to be experiencing moderate or severe asthma symptoms, whether you know the cause or not. When the symptoms of asthma have you feeling poorly and breathing becomes labored, it is time to seek the help of a doctor for treatment which may lead to diagnosis of asthma.

Adult asthma symptoms and asthma symptoms in children are essentially the same. For every asthma symptom, types of symptoms that an individual experiences will differ. Not every asthma sufferer will experience all symptoms. Asthma symptoms can differ in intensity, too. Furthermore, asthma and symptoms will range in intensity within the same patient, with each attack being more or less intense than the last.

Signs/symptoms of asthma include:

• Persistent coughing. May or may not be associated with a cold, or may linger after most cold symptoms are gone. Coughing can also be for no other apparent reason (absence of infection) and is often worse at night or in the early morning.


• Wheezing. Squeaking or whistling when you breathe, especially on the exhale, is wheezing.


• Short of breath. Shortness of breath is the feeling that you can’t catch your breath that it is impossible to get enough breath into your lungs, or you feel out of breath.


• Tightness in the chest. Feels like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.


• Increased breathing or noisy breathing. Beware when breathing becomes louder or faster (especially worth noting in children who cannot communicate well).

Learning about the different severity if asthma attacks symptoms is important not only so you know where on the asthma spectrum your disease falls, but also so that you can recognize the symptoms of acute asthma attacks so you know when to call the doctor or seek emergency services.

Recognizing early symptoms of asthma episodes can alert you to take precautionary measures and stave off a more severe attack. Coughing, wheezing, chest tightening, and a reduced ‘peak flow’ (as measured by a peak flow meter) can signal an impending asthma attack. It is important for parents and caregivers to monitor their child’s early asthma symptoms. Children are not always aware of what is going on until an attack has progressed to the severe and obvious stage and is harder to reverse. Look for telltale ‘tugging’ at the base of the neck and ribs, and listen for coughs and noisy breathing.

Pets can also be victims of asthma. If your cat or dog has difficulty breathing, learn the symptoms of dog asthma (cat asthma); primary symptoms in animals include coughing first, followed by wheezing, and sometimes respiratory distress.

Recognizing asthma symptoms starts by learning what your asthma triggers are. Once you know when to look for difficulty, you will know when to prepare to stave off trouble. For instance, if you suffer with exercise induced asthma, your doctor may direct you to take a fast-acting medication before engaging in physical activity. Medications should only be taken as directed by you doctor.

Asthma is a quite prevalent disease. Though complications can be severe if gone unchecked, asthma is quite treatable and a regular, full lifestyle can be enjoyed when patients learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of asthma so they know how to deal with attacks as they come.