Symptoms of asthma

Symptoms of asthma in adults include:

• Wheezing
• Breathlessness
• A ‘tight’ feeling in the chest

Symptoms of asthma in children include:

• A wheezing or whistling sound when breathing out
• Coughing, wheezing or breathlessness with exercise
• Prolonged coughing, not because of a cold, often worse at night
• Generally feeling unwell
• Recurrent colds from which it takes a long time to recover
• Tiredness
• Irritation
• Avoiding play or exercise

 

If you have any symptoms described above or think that you might suffer from asthma you should visit your doctor. Doctors diagnose asthma by asking questions that will help them understand the severity of the symptoms and how it affects you and your quality of life. They also run tests for lung function to check the health of your lungs. Doctors will also check the severity of your asthma.

Your doctor may ask...

questions about your ability to breathe, and ask whether you suffer from common asthma symptoms (including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness during the day or at night). It is important that you discuss all the symptoms that you experience with your doctor so that you can receive the best asthma treatment for you.

Because quality of life is associated with good control of symptoms...

doctors may also use different questions about your asthma symptoms to find out how well your asthma is controlled. Your doctor may ask about the impact of asthma symptoms on your everyday life. They may ask about night-time waking due to asthma, how often you use your reliever inhaler (e.g. salbutamol) and activities that your asthma prevents you from doing.