Symptoms of bronchial asthma cough

Written by Yuan Qing
Pulmonology
Updated on January 22, 2025
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Bronchial asthma, commonly referred to as asthma, often results in symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing in patients. However, these symptoms do not always appear simultaneously in an individual. It's possible for a single symptom to serve as the initial manifestation of bronchial asthma. For example, the condition may present solely as wheezing, chest tightness, or, notably, as coughing, where it is the only symptom. The characteristics of asthma-related coughing primarily include a certain rhythmic pattern, typically worsening during early morning or late night, and it can easily lead to coughing up blood. Additionally, the coughing may begin and end abruptly and can be triggered by exposure to cold air or strange smells, followed by spontaneous improvement after a period. These are distinctive features of bronchial asthma coughing.

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Written by Zeng Xiang Bo
Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
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What are the complications of bronchial asthma?

The complications of bronchial asthma are divided into acute and chronic complications. Acute complications, which occur during a severe asthma attack, mainly include pneumothorax, mediastinal emphysema, severe hypoxia, respiratory failure, leading to severe arrhythmias, electrolyte disturbances, and in severe cases, coma and death. Chronic complications are mainly due to chronic changes in bronchial asthma leading to airway remodeling, chronic airway inflammation, and chronic narrowing. The complications at this stage mainly include chronic respiratory failure and pulmonary heart disease.

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Is bronchial asthma serious?

The symptoms of bronchial asthma vary from person to person, as does its severity. Some patients may have very mild symptoms, only showing slight chest tightness and mild coughing. Other patients may experience very severe symptoms such as respiratory failure, loss of consciousness, cardiac arrest, and sudden death. The clinical presentations are completely different. Therefore, bronchial asthma can be considered a suppressive disease, meaning everyone's symptoms are different, and one cannot generalize; most patients are relatively mild.

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Written by Wang Xiang Yu
Pulmonology
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Can bronchial asthma be inherited?

The etiology of asthma is still very unclear, but genetics may indeed be related to bronchial asthma to some extent. Currently, a lot of research data indicates that the incidence rate of bronchial asthma is higher among the relatives of patients than in the general population, and the closer the familial relationship, the higher the incidence rate and potentially more severe the condition could be. In layman's terms, this means that if our parents have bronchial asthma, then the likelihood of their children having bronchial asthma is higher than in the general population. However, this is not absolute; it does not mean that if a parent has bronchial asthma, their children will definitely have it. The relationship is not very certain, and the genes related to bronchial asthma are also not very clear at present. Bronchial asthma is also related to many other factors.

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Written by Wei Shi Liang
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Causes of Bronchial Asthma

The most common cause of bronchial asthma is inhalants, which are mainly found in daily life, such as dust mites, pollen, fungi, and some irritating and toxic gases, all of which may irritate the airways and cause asthma. Infections are closely related to the occurrence of asthma, and respiratory infections such as viruses, bacteria, and mycoplasma can all trigger asthma. Additionally, certain specific foods, such as fish, shrimp, crab, milk, and eggs, may cause asthma in certain groups of people. Factors such as the patient's mental state, changes in the climate, and intense exercise are also possible causes of bronchial asthma. These are the most common causes of bronchial asthma onset.

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Can people with bronchial asthma eat crab?

Patients with bronchial asthma are not absolutely prohibited from eating crabs, but they should be cautious when doing so. Those with bronchial asthma might be allergic to certain foods, potentially triggering an acute asthma attack, or even severe asthma due to food allergies, which could be life-threatening. Seafood is one of the most common triggers for such allergies. Therefore, it is generally advised for patients with bronchial asthma to avoid seafood. Additionally, foods like fish, shrimp, and crabs can also cause allergies. Thus, patients with bronchial asthma need to be cautious when eating crabs, especially if they have never eaten them before. If they do eat crabs, it should be tried in small amounts. If symptoms such as rash, itchy skin, coughing or chest tightness occur during the consumption of crabs, they should immediately stop eating and, if necessary, appropriate medication should be administered.