What Is An (Asthma Attack)?

Asthma Episode 

Asthma symptoms can vary from very mild to very severe. Some adults with asthma have only seasonal bouts of symptoms. Some have symptoms only after exercise or after exposure to something to which they are allergic, such as a dog or cat. Others have a chronic form of the disease and experience asthma symptoms almost daily.

In an "asthma episode," also known as an "asthma attack," the symptoms develop because the oversensitive airways of the lung react by becoming more inflamed and narrows, thus obstructing the normal flow of air through the air passages. The reduced size of the air passages occurs because:

• The muscles around the airways tighten
• The linings of the airways become swollen
• The normal secretion of the airways (called mucus) becomes "trapped," thus clogging the airways

As the airways become narrower and more obstructed, it takes extra effort to breathe and force air through them. The air may make a whistling or wheezing sound as it goes past the narrowed parts of the air passages. A person having an asthma attack may also cough a lot and spit up a lot of very sticky mucus.
So one or more of the following symptoms may occur once the airways have narrowed in response to a trigger:

• Coughing Coughing is often a sign of asthma, but is easily overlooked. As a general rule, healthy people don't cough unless they have something in their throats or have a cold.
• Wheezing Wheezing is a whistling noise heard during breathing, as if something is "caught" in one of the breathing passages.
• Tightness of the chest  Many adults with asthma describe a tightness of the chest, an uncomfortable feeling caused by over-inflation of the lungs due to difficulty in pushing air out through the narrowed airways.
• Shortness of breath  Shortness of breath is the feeling that a breath is barely finished before another is needed. It has been described as "air hunger" by some people.
• Mucus production. Many people with asthma produce excessive, thick mucus that obstructs the airways, which can lead to coughing.

For many people, asthma symptoms are worse at night and in the early morning or after exercise. Furthermore, an asthma episode often gives early warning signs, thus giving the person time to act.

Posted in: Asthma