Asthma what is it like

Asthma Overview What is asthma? What is asthma? We asked people to describe how it feels getting asthma symptoms, when breathing becomes difficult. Peter describes how low level symptoms might sometimes linger and get worse to the point where breathing became more problematic.

Peter is symptom free for about 9 months of the year, but there are times when his asthma is less well controlled and he finds over a period of time he can begin to feel worried about his breathing. View full profile. The symptoms I have I think are the same as what other people have. And they vary in severity from being very mild to being quite debilitating and that seems to be a bit of a characteristic of the condition called asthma.

I can do most of what I want to do. Sometimes quite badly restricted. So it is variable. The symptoms are yes, tightness in the chest coughing, wheezing. I think probably the, oh and shortness of breath. The shortness of breath and the coughing are the things that trouble me most. As soon as you lie down it starts you off coughing so you have to sit up. People talk about asthma attack which sounds like something sudden and violent. Which is frightening.

And also the mouth as well. Skin testing or a blood test can be used to confirm whether your asthma is associated with specific allergies, such as dust mites, pollen or foods. Tests can also be carried out to see if you are allergic or sensitive to certain substances known to cause occupational asthma.

Read more about diagnosing allergies. The inhaler usually contains a medicine called a short-acting beta2-agonist, which works by relaxing the muscles surrounding the narrowed airways.

This allows the airways to open wider, making it easier to breathe again. Reliever inhalers do not reduce the inflammation in the airways, so they do not make asthma better in the long term — they are intended only for the relief of symptoms.

Examples of reliever medicines include salbutamol and terbutaline. They are generally safe medicines with few side effects, unless overused. However, they should rarely, if ever, be necessary if asthma is well controlled, and anyone needing to use them three or more times a week should have their treatment reviewed.

Preventer inhalers — usually brown, red or orange — work over time to reduce the amount of inflammation and sensitivity of the airways, and reduce the chances of asthma attacks occurring.

They must be used regularly typically twice or occasionally once daily and indefinitely to keep asthma under control. You will need to use the preventer inhaler daily for some time before you gain the full benefit. You may still occasionally need the blue reliever inhaler to relieve your symptoms, but your treatment should be reviewed if you continue to need them often.

The preventer inhaler usually contains a medicine called an inhaled corticosteroid. Examples of preventer medicines include beclometasone, budesonide, fluticasone, ciclesonide and mometasone.

Preventer treatment should be taken regularly if you have anything more than occasional symptoms from your asthma, and certainly if you feel the need to use a reliever inhaler more than twice a week. Some inhaled corticosteroids can occasionally cause a mild fungal infection oral thrush in the mouth and throat, so make sure you rinse your mouth thoroughly after inhaling a dose. The use of a spacer device also reduces this risk. If your asthma does not respond to initial treatment, the dose of preventer inhaler you take may be increased in agreement with your healthcare team.

These work in the same way as short-acting relievers. Although they take slightly longer to work, their effects can last for up to 12 hours. This means that taking them regularly twice a day provides hour cover.

Regular use of long-acting relievers can also help reduce the dosage of preventer medication needed to control asthma. Examples of long-acting relievers include formoterol and salmeterol, and recently vilanterol, which may last up to 24 hours.

However, like short-acting relievers, long-acting relievers do not reduce the inflammation in the airways. If they are taken without a preventer, this may allow the condition to get worse while masking the symptoms, increasing the chance of a sudden and potentially life-threatening severe asthma attack.

You should therefore always use a long-acting reliever inhaler in combination with a preventer inhaler, and never by itself. In view of this, most long-acting relievers are prescribed in a 'combination' inhaler, which contains both an inhaled steroid as a preventer and a long-acting bronchodilator in the one device. These are usually but not always purple, red and white, or maroon. If regular efficient administration of treatment with a preventer and a long-acting reliever still fails to control asthma symptoms, additional medicines may be tried.

Two possible alternatives include:. If your asthma is still not under control, you may be prescribed regular steroid tablets. This treatment is usually monitored by a respiratory specialist an asthma specialist.

Long-term use of oral steroids has serious possible side effects, so they are only used once other treatment options have been tried, and after discussing the risks and benefits with your healthcare team.

Omalizumab, also known as Xolair, is the first of a new category of medication that binds to one of the proteins involved in the immune response and reduces its level in the blood. This lowers the chance of an immune reaction happening and causing an asthma attack. The National Institute for Heath and Care Excellence NICE recommends that omalizumab can be used in people with allergy-related asthma who need continuous or frequent treatment with oral corticosteroids.

Omalizumab is given as an injection every two to four weeks. It should only be prescribed in a specialist centre. If omalizumab does not control asthma symptoms within 16 weeks, the treatment should be stopped. Bronchial thermoplasty is a relatively new procedure that can be used in some cases of severe asthma. It works by destroying some of the muscles surrounding the airways in the lungs, which can reduce their ability to narrow the airways.

The procedure is carried out either with sedation or under general anaesthetic. A bronchoscope a long, flexible tube containing a probe is inserted into the lungs through the mouth or nose so it touches the airways.

The probe then uses controlled heat to damage the muscles around the airways. Three treatment sessions are usually needed, with at least three weeks between each session. There is some evidence to show this procedure may reduce asthma attacks and improve the quality of life of someone with severe asthma. However, the long-term risks and benefits are not yet fully understood. There is a small risk it will trigger an asthma attack, which sometimes requires hospital admission.

Relievers are a safe and effective medicine, and have few side effects as long as they are not used too much. The main side effects include a mild shaking of the hands tremors , headaches and muscle cramps. These usually only happen with high doses of reliever inhaler and usually only last for a few minutes. Preventers are very safe at usual doses, although they can cause a range of side effects at high doses, especially with long-term use.

The main side effect of preventer inhalers is a fungal infection of the mouth or throat oral candidiasis. You may also develop a hoarse voice and sore throat. Using a spacer can help prevent these side effects, as can rinsing your mouth or cleaning your teeth after using your preventer inhaler. Your doctor or nurse will discuss with you the need to balance control of your asthma with the risk of side effects, and how to keep side effects to a minimum.

Long-acting relievers may cause similar side effects to short-acting relievers. You should be monitored at the beginning of your treatment and reviewed regularly.

If you find there is no benefit to using the long-acting reliever, it should be stopped. Theophylline tablets have been known to cause side effects in some people, including nausea, vomiting, tremors and noticeable heartbeats palpitations.

These can usually be avoided by adjusting the dose according to periodic measurement of the theophylline concentration in the blood.

Side effects of leukotriene receptor agonists can include tummy abdominal pain and headaches. Oral steroids carry a risk if they are taken for more than three months or if they are taken frequently more than three or four courses of steroids a year.

Side effects can include:. With the exception of increased appetite, which is very commonly experienced by people taking oral steroids, most of these unwanted effects are uncommon. However, it is a good idea to keep an eye out for them regularly, especially side effects that are not immediately obvious, such as high blood pressure, thinning of the bones, diabetes and glaucoma.

A personal asthma action plan will help you recognise the initial symptoms of an asthma attack, know how to respond, and when to seek medical attention. If your symptoms improve and you do not need to phone , you still need to see a doctor or asthma nurse within 24 hours. If you are admitted to hospital, you will be given a combination of oxygen, reliever and preventer medicines to bring your asthma under control. Your personal asthma action plan will need to be reviewed after an asthma attack, so reasons for the attack can be identified and avoided in future.

As part of your initial assessment, you should be encouraged to draw up a personal asthma action plan with your GP or asthma nurse. If you've been admitted to hospital because of an asthma attack, you should be offered an action plan or the opportunity to review an existing action plan before you go home.

The action plan should include information about your asthma medicines, and will help you recognise when your symptoms are getting worse and what steps to take. You should also be given information about what to do if you have an asthma attack. Your personal asthma action plan should be reviewed with your GP or asthma nurse at least once a year, or more frequently if your symptoms are severe.

As part of your asthma plan, you may be given a peak flow meter. This will give you another way of monitoring your asthma, rather than relying only on symptoms, so you can recognise deterioration earlier and take appropriate steps. Your doctor or nurse will tailor your asthma treatment to your symptoms.

Sometimes you may need to be on higher levels of medication than at others. It is also important that your GP or pharmacist teaches you how to properly use your inhaler, as this is an important part of good asthma care.

If it is possible you have asthma associated with your job occupational asthma , you will be referred to a respiratory specialist to confirm the diagnosis. If your employer has an occupational health service, they should also be informed, along with your health and safety officer. Your employer has a responsibility to protect you from the causes of occupational asthma.

It may sometimes be possible to substitute or remove the substance triggering your occupational asthma from your workplace, to redeploy you to another role within the company, or to wear protective breathing equipment.

However, you may need to consider changing your job or relocating away from your work environment, ideally within 12 months of your symptoms developing. However, there is little evidence that any of these treatments, other than breathing exercises, are effective.

There is some evidence that breathing exercises can improve symptoms and reduce the need for reliever medicines in some people. These include breathing exercises taught by a physiotherapist, yoga and the Buteyko method a technique involving slowed, controlled breathing.

With the right treatment and management, asthma shouldn't restrict your daily life including your sleep in any way. You should work with your healthcare professionals and strive to achieve this goal.

You should also be confident about how to recognise when your asthma is getting out of control, and what to do if it does. Asthma symptoms are often worse at night. This means you might wake up some nights coughing or with a tight chest.

If your child has asthma, poor sleep can affect their behaviour and concentration, as well as their ability to learn. Effectively controlling asthma with the treatment your doctor or nurse recommends will reduce the symptoms, so you or your child should sleep better. Read about living with insomnia for more tips on getting better sleep.

Very occasionally, people with asthma develop symptoms only during exercise. However, usually this is a sign that your asthma could be better controlled generally. If you or your child have asthma symptoms during or after exercise, speak to your doctor or asthma nurse. It is likely they will review your general symptoms and personal asthma plan to make sure the condition is under control. Read about health and fitness for more information on simple ways to exercise. Most people with asthma can eat a normal, healthy diet.

Occasionally, people with asthma may have food-based allergic triggers and will need to avoid foods such as cows' milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, yeast products, nuts, and some food colourings and preservatives. However, this is uncommon. Read more about eating well. It's important to identify possible asthma triggers by making a note of any worsening symptoms or by using your peak flow meter during exposure to certain situations.

One way to distinguish between allergy and asthma symptoms: Allergies occur in the upper-respiratory system and go hand-in-hand with nasal congestion, sinus pain, and nasal drip, which can cause airway irritation and coughing, says Thomas Asciuto, MD , the medical director of pulmonary services at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California.

Asthma, on the other hand, affects the airways that carry air to and from your lungs. And while asthma is by far the most common cause of a chronic, persistent cough, other culprits can include postnasal drip, sleep apnea, gastric reflux, and COPD , says Dr.

Your doctor will probably start your examination by delving into your past medical history and asking whether any of your relatives have allergies or asthma.

You'll also be asked to describe your symptoms, their severity, and what, if anything, is triggering them. Next, your doctor will listen to your breathing with a stethoscope and may order one or more of these diagnostic tests:.