obstructed or narrowed, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Very common in infants and children with asthma, wheezing is a definite sign of an asthma attack in any patient with asthma.
If the wheezing is new or occurs with other asthma symptoms, you should see your physician. If the wheezing doesn’t respond to your asthma treatments, you should immediately go to the emergency room for evaluation and treatment.
As with the other symptoms of asthma, wheezing is set off by irritants in the environment and a narrowing of the airways.
Chest tightness or pain
Another symptom of asthma is chest tightness or chest pain. According to Mount Sinai, chest tightness without any other symptoms may be an early indicator of an asthma attack.
It can feel like you have someone sitting on your chest or you have a band tightening around your chest. Also, with the increased work of breathing and frequent coughing, you may experience chest pain caused by sore muscles.
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Serious asthma attack symptoms
While all of these are symptoms of asthma, and can be signs of an asthma attack, there are some symptoms that should cause you to seek immediate medical care. These include:
- Wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath that become more severe and constant
- Rapid heart rate and respiratory rate
- Blue-tinged lips or fingers
- Confusion, drowsiness, exhaustion or dizziness
- Too short of breath to talk
- Fainting
It is important for patients with asthma to follow their physician’s instructions carefully and make an appointment quickly if their symptoms become less controlled.
Avoid irritants and things that set off your asthma whenever possible, and be diligent to take your medications as prescribed.
Having good day-to-day control of asthma is key to keeping symptoms at bay and preventing asthma attacks, says Dr. John Costello, a pulmonologist at Mayo Clinic Healthcare in London.
“The prevention of asthma as a condition is quite difficult,” Costello noted in a recent Mayo Clinic article. “What you can prevent is the frequency and severity of attacks by the use of regular treatment.”
If you experience these asthma symptoms, make an appointment to see your physician as soon as possible. A prompt assessment by a health care provider is needed so a proper diagnosis and treatment plan can be created.