Asthma: Symptoms, triggers and treatment options

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If you don’t have personal experience with asthma, there's a good chance you've seen it depicted on TV. Someone — often a young child — is suddenly unable to breathe well. They start taking short, panicked gasps and may reach for an inhaler for relief, which seems to quickly resolve the asthma attack.

While asthma is the leading chronic disease in children and, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is more common in children than in adults, anyone can suffer from it. In fact, more Americans than ever before have asthma — and it’s one of the most common and costly diseases in the United States.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a lung condition with various symptoms that come and go. People with asthma may experience airflow obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (airway narrowing) and underlying inflammation.

These symptoms impact your ability to breathe, and can trigger episodes of coughing, chest tightness, wheezing and shortness of breath when you are exposed to environmental allergens and irritants such as pollen, pollution, airborne chemicals and tobacco smoke.

Doctors think genetics and other factors may play a role in developing asthma. According to the World Health Organization, you’re more likely to have asthma if:

• You have another allergic condition
• You have a family history of allergies, asthma or eczema
• You are a smoker or are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke
• You are overweight

Different types of asthma

There are several different types of asthma, since it’s caused by a variety of triggers. A few of the most common types include:

1. Allergic asthma — If you suffer from allergies, you may be more susceptible to allergic asthma, which is triggered by common allergens like dust, pollen, pet dander, mold spores and other airborne substances.
2. Occupational asthma — This type of asthma is triggered by airborne irritants specific to your work environment, such as chemical fumes, exhaust, gases or dust particles. You’ll typically only experience symptoms when you are in that environment and exposed to those triggers.
3. Exercise-induced asthma — Also known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB), this type of asthma can affect people who don’t experience asthma in other situations, and usually only lasts for the duration of your exercise. EIB triggers are typically situational for specific sports, like chlorine while swimming, air pollution while running or cycling, the room temperature during hot yoga and cold, dry air while skiing, ice skating or playing hockey.

What are the signs and symptoms of asthma?

Asthma symptoms can vary from person to person, and they can even change for individuals over time. Some easily recognizable symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath
• Pain or tightness in your chest
• A whistling or wheezing sound when breathing out
• Coughing or wheezing attacks that are worse when you have a cold

In addition, signs of asthma in children may include:

• Coughing fits that get worse during sickness, sleep, exercise or in the cold
• Less energy while playing
• A wheezing sound when exhaling
• Chest congestion
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue, often due to poor sleep

Doctors typically classify asthma symptoms into four different levels of severity:

• Mild intermittent — mild symptoms less than twice a week, nighttime symptoms less than twice a month.
• Mild persistent — mild symptoms for more than a few days each week and nighttime symptoms a few times per month, which might affect some activities.
• Moderate persistent — moderate symptoms for more than a few days each week and nighttime symptoms a few times per month, which might affect some activities.
• Severe persistent — frequent, ongoing symptoms occurring both day and night and force you to limit activities.

How do you treat asthma?

Asthma can’t be cured, but the right treatment and lifestyle changes can keep symptoms under control. There are two main types of medication for asthma: quick-relief medications like inhalers, which allow you to breathe easier when experiencing an asthma attack, and long-term control medications, which can be taken daily to help reduce inflammation or prevent your airways from closing.

According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology, quick-relief inhalers are only meant to be used once or twice a week and may be recommended for use when you’re sick or before exercise. If you find yourself using or relying on your inhaler more often, it’s important to talk to your primary care provider (PCP) about adjusting your treatment plan.

Other steps you can take to better manage your asthma include:

• Keeping vaccines up to date, as the flu or pneumonia can trigger asthma flare-ups.
• Avoid asthma triggers. Once you identify what triggers your asthma, take steps to avoid those triggers whenever possible.
• Monitor your breathing. You can use an at-home peak flow meter to measure your lungs’ peak airflow, which can tell you if your lung function is silently decreasing and putting you at risk for a more severe attack.

The bottom line

While most think asthma is an obvious disease — coughing and gasping for air during an attack — people who have been diagnosed with asthma may not show any symptoms for long periods of time. If you have asthma and are only treating it during attacks or flare-ups with a short-term medication, you may not be effectively controlling the disease. Though asthma is an incurable, chronic condition, you can work with your PCP to create a detailed plan that helps you live a normal life and prevent asthma attacks.

If you are concerned you may have asthma, your PCP or an allergist can diagnose it with a series of tests that measure and evaluate your lung function. Find an in-network PCP or allergist in myWellmark.