Bronchial asthma attacks vary in frequency and severity. Some people who have asthma are symptom-free most of the time, with only an occasional, brief, mild episode of shortness of breath.

Other people cough and wheeze most of the time and have severe attacks after viral infections, exercise, or exposure to allergens or irritants, including cigarette smoke.

Crying or hearty laughing may bring on symptoms in some people. Some people with asthma produce clear and at times sticky (mucoid) phlegm (sputum).

Bronchial asthma attacks occur most often in the early morning hours when the effects of protective medications wear off and the body is least able to prevent bronchoconstriction. An asthma attack may begin suddenly with wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath. Wheezing is particularly noticeable when the person breathes out.

At other times, an asthma attack may come on slowly with gradually worsening symptoms. In either case, people with asthma usually first notice shortness of breath, coughing, or chest tightness. The attack may be over in minutes, or it may last for hours or days. Itching on the chest or neck may be an early symptom, especially in children.

A dry cough at night or while exercising may be the only symptom. In a very severe asthma attack, a person is able to say only a few words without stopping to take a breath. However, wheezing may diminish, because hardly any air is moving in and out of the lungs. Confusion, lethargy, and a blue skin color (cyanosis) are signs that the person’s oxygen supply is severely limited, and emergency treatment is needed.

Usually, a person recovers completely with appropriate treatment, even from a severe asthma attack. Rarely, some people develop attacks so quickly that they may lose consciousness before they can give themselves effective therapy. Such people should wear a medical alert bracelet and perhaps carry a cellular phone to call 911.

Both a child with asthma and the family must learn to adjust to the long term problem of recurrent asthma. The child must be encourage to lead as full and normal a life as possible, yet at the same time be helped and supported to do this by parent and doctors who understand how modern drugs can be used to prevent and control attacks.

For more information on how to treat bronchial asthma and protect your loved ones to suffer bronchial asthma again. Please go to The Asthma Relief Report.

Bookmark to:

This entry was posted on Friday, February 2nd, 2007 at 3:35 pm and is filed under Asthma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.