Tim is on his second year high school’s track team. He is the best runner in the conference at 200 meter and 400 meter. He is going to get a track scholarship to college next year. However, one day after the practice, Tim coughs and wheezes. He does the same on the bus after track meets. His coach thinks Tim might have asthma and suggested that Tim see a doctor.
Tim has asthma sign and symptom. He coughs hard after exercising, and he makes a wheezing sound when he breathes. Other physical asthma sign and symptom include shortness of breathing, tightness in the chest, excess mucus, coughing attacks after laughing or crying, and coughing attacks during the night. People with asthma might have one or more of these sign and symptom. Asthma sign and symptom vary from person to person. It may appear suddenly, or they may occur regularly.
Shortness of breath, an early asthma sign and symptom, appears as a sensation of breathlessness or choking, as labored breathing or as panting or gasping for air. Known as dyspnea in medical lingo, shortness of breath is thought to be caused by bronchospasms.
Chest tightness is a feeling of pressure in the front of the chest, in the area around the sternum, or breastbone. This is also a result of bronchospasms.
Wheezing is the result of air being forced through narrowed or constricted airways. It may be loud enough to be heard by bystanders or audible only through a doctor’s stethoscope. Best described as a whistling or rasping sound, wheezing is initially heard on exhalation. But as asthma worsens there is wheezing during inhalation as well.
Excess mucus is produced during an asthma attack, and this thick, sticky matter obstructs or clogs the airways. Excess mucus is a symptom of asthma, but it is also cause of the next symptom.
Coughing occurs as the body tries to clear obstructions from the lungs. The cough may be a deep and loose cough that brings up mucus. A cough that fails to bring up mucus may eventually irritate the lungs and in itself produce bronchospasm.
There are other sign and symptom of asthma as well. People with asthma may be irritable because of the discomfort. They may dislike playing sports or doing exercise because they get winded too easily. They may avoid going places where they must climb many stairs or walk long distance. Certain signals generally appear before an asthma attack. They warn the person that an attack is coming. The signals can be seen, heard, and felt. Some examples of signals include runny nose, sleeplessness, slight changes in breathing, coughing, and sneezing.
