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Asthma    See images

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Bronchial asthma; Asthma - bronchial; Exercise induced asthma - bronchial; Reactive airways disease (RAD)

Symptoms

• wheezing
  • usually begins suddenly
  • is episodic
  • may be worse at night or in early morning
  • aggravated by exposure to cold air
  • aggravated by exercise
  • aggravated by heartburn (reflux)
  • resolves spontaneously
  • relieved by bronchodilators (drugs that open the airways)
• cough with or without sputum (phlegm) production
• shortness of breath that is aggravated by exercise
• breathing that requires increased work
• intercostal retractions (pulling of the skin between the ribs when breathing)

Emergency symptoms:

• extreme difficulty breathing
• bluish color to the lips and face
• severe anxiety
• rapid pulse
• sweating
• decreased level of consciousness (severe drowsiness or confusion) during an asthma attack

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• nasal flaring
• chest pain
• tightness in the chest
• abnormal breathing pattern, in which exhalation (breathing out) takes more than twice as long as inspiration (breathing in)
• breathing which temporarily stops
• coughing up blood

Signs and Tests

Listening to the chest (auscultation) during an episode reveals wheezing. However, lung sounds are usually normal between episodes.

Tests may include:

• pulmonary function tests
• peak flow measurements
• chest X-ray
• allergy testing by skin testing or serum tests
• arterial blood gas
• eosinophil (a type of white blood cell) count

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