Signs and symptoms
In order to successfully deal with asthma, the signs and symptoms need to be discovered and treated as soon as possible. Appropriate medication can control even the most serious symptoms, so that you or your child may be safe.
First signs
The first signs that precede an attack of asthma are very important to know, for the affected person to obtain treatment in the early stage. The episodes may or may not have the same early symptoms. Some of these signs are more easily to perceive by the person that has asthma, others by the one around him. The most common early symptoms are:
- - Changes of breath
- - Headaches
- - Sneezing
- - Moodiness
- - The nose becomes runny or stuffy
- - Fatigue
- - Dark circles surrounding the eyes
- - Insomnia
- - No resistance to sports or other physical efforts
- - Downward trend in peak flow number
The specific symptoms of asthma
The symptoms of asthma are produced by an attack and they usually appear under the following forms:
- - Peak flow numbers may come to danger range
- - Coughing
- - Wheezing
- - Breathing difficulties
- - Chest tightness
A discussion to the doctor is necessary in order to keep these symptoms under control. When the airwaves are narrowed, the air can't reach the lungs, which causes serious problems, unless they are fought by the appropriate treatment.
Serious symptoms of asthma
These represent a real danger to the person's life and are a medical emergency, because they imply extremely severe respiratory problems:
- - The person is almost unable to speak or pay attention
- - The shoulders become posturing
- - Breathing is cither much faster or slower that usually
- - The person coughs, wheezes, his or her breath is shortened and experiences tightness in the chest
- - Even walking changes breathing rate
- - Nasal flaring takes place
- - The person's skin changes color, starting from the mouth area and becomes cyanotic
- - Neck retractions take place
- - Peak flow numbers enter the danger zone
These symptoms absolutely need medical emergency assistance. A person who has asthma or the parent of the child that has asthma must ask the doctor for a plan in case of emergency, and teach the other family members how to react in such situations.
The symptoms must known very well and, if necessary, written down. Some important things to keep in mind are the following:
- - What are the symptoms and how severe can they get
- - Peak flow normal members
- - Asthma may cause asthmatic people to lose school work days
- - How many sleepless nights asthma caused you?
- - Any important change of medication
Discussions with the doctor and medical examinations
In case they took place, the emergency situations generated by asthma episodes.
It is very important for a person that suffers from asthma to be in close contact to the specialist, to get instructions and identify early symptoms.
These symptoms are different in both their nature and frequency from one person to another. Even the intensity they have varies from one person to another. There are times in which the symptoms produce only a state of discomfort, other times when they determine the person to interrupt an activity and, sometimes, they even represent a real danger and many cause death. In some persons, they appear only once or twice in six months, in others once in a week, while other people suffer these attacks every day. Treatment keeps them under control and, sometimes they may not appear again at all.