What are the symptoms of asthma?

Written by Guo Xiao Yun
Pulmonology
Updated on October 29, 2024
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Asthma is a chronic airway disease that clinically manifests as noticeable chest tightness and shortness of breath during acute attacks, especially when exposed to allergens such as cold air, pollen, animal dander, or consuming foods that are likely to cause allergies, such as eggs, milk, and seafood. This leads to high reactivity of the airways, causing spasms, and thus a range of clinical symptoms. In some patients, typical wheezing sounds can also be heard in the lungs. Asthma is a chronic disease that cannot be completely cured. During acute attacks, it is recommended to quickly remove oneself from allergens and actively administer antispasmodic and asthma-relieving medications to significantly improve symptoms of chest tightness and shortness of breath.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
1min 22sec home-news-image

What department should I go to for asthma?

What department should you visit for asthma? First, we need to clarify the definition of asthma. The term "asthma" most commonly refers to bronchial asthma, but also to cardiac asthma. Starting with bronchial asthma, it is a respiratory system disease, and the most appropriate department to visit is the Department of Respiratory Medicine. Of course, in the case of an acute attack of bronchial asthma, if the condition of the patient is very severe, then they may choose to visit the emergency department. Additionally, in some areas where there is no Department of Respiratory Medicine available, such as in rural areas or community health centers, patients can only visit a general internal medicine department. As for cardiac asthma, it is a concept that is gradually being phased out. Cardiac asthma, as the name suggests, is associated with cardiovascular system diseases. Under these circumstances, the most fitting department to visit is the Department of Cardiology. Of course, if the patient's condition is critical, then the most suitable choice is still the emergency department, where emergency physicians will decide how to handle the patient's condition based on their specific medical needs.

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Written by Han Shun Li
Pulmonology
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Is cough variant asthma considered asthma?

Cough variant asthma is asthma, and it can be definitively said that cough variant asthma is a type of asthma. Typical asthma generally involves episodic symptoms such as chest tightness, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. However, cough variant asthma is primarily characterized by coughing symptoms, often occurring at night. Therefore, cough variant asthma is also asthma, and the treatment is the same as typical asthma, where bronchodilator medications can be used for treatment.

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
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Asthma cough symptoms

Asthma is a chronic airway inflammation involving multiple inflammatory cells. After being diagnosed with asthma, a patient may exhibit airway hyperresponsiveness. Upon exposure to allergens or cold stimuli, the patient often experiences wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. These coughing symptoms generally worsen during the early morning and night, especially after exposure to odors or cold air, which can easily trigger coughing. The cough is primarily dry, without phlegm or with a small amount of white sticky phlegm, accompanied by symptoms like nasal itchiness, throat itchiness, and itchiness in the voice box. Treatment can involve the use of bronchial asthma medications or warm water, which can also lead to improvement. This describes some unique aspects of cough-variant asthma.

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
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Asthma: What to Avoid

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways involving various types of cells and cellular components, primarily eosinophils. This eosinophil-dominated inflammation is generally related to allergies. Substances that can trigger airway allergies include common allergens such as pet dander, pollen, dust mites, and mold. Therefore, it is generally recommended that individuals with asthma should avoid contact with these substances. Additionally, during the flu season, it is important to prevent colds by wearing masks to avoid viral infections.

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Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
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How to test for asthma?

Asthma is fully referred to as bronchial asthma. It is primarily due to the presence of inflammatory cells in the airways over a long period of time. These inflammatory cells render the trachea highly reactive. With this hyperreactivity, patients often experience wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, which typically occur in the early morning and at night. These symptoms can generally be alleviated with or without medication, and if a patient typically exhibits these symptoms, an asthma diagnosis can essentially be made. However, if the symptoms are atypical, such as having only coughing or wheezing, it may be necessary to perform some pulmonary function tests, chest X-rays, ultrasounds, or electrocardiograms on the patient to rule out other diseases that could cause wheezing and coughing. Therefore, doctors will arrange for these tests based on the patient's symptoms.