In most cases, bronchial asthma begins in childhood. Typical symptoms are recurrent attacks of irritable cough for no apparent reason or persistent coughing after bronchitis or other respiratory infection – the first signs of bronchial hyperresponsiveness.
The coughing fits occur especially at night; a thick, glassy mucus may be coughed up. Sometimes a whistling sound (giemen) is also heard already when exhaling; possibly the affected person has a feeling of tightness over the chest.
Asthma: symptoms and typical complaints
Not infrequently, these initial symptoms are relatively minor, so that the diagnosis is made only after an acute asthma attack. In this case, the signs described above are much more pronounced. Symptoms of an acute asthma attack include:
- Shortness of breath or shortness of breath (i.e., faster breathing).
- Difficult and prolonged exhalation
- No more air to speak
- Breathing appears easier to the affected person when sitting bent forward, leaning on the arms and pulling up the shoulders
- When breathing whistling sounds (giemen) over the chest.
- Bluish discoloration of the lips, later the skin due to the lack of oxygen in the blood.
- Tightness in the chest
- Heart palpitations
- Exhaustion, anxiety, restlessness
If these symptoms are not treated or not treated adequately, the asthma attack can become life-threatening – a so-called status asthmaticus, which can last for hours to days. This status asthmaticus requires intensive medical care.
Diagnosis of asthma
On the one hand, the diagnosis serves to establish the diagnosis of bronchial asthma in the first place. On the other hand, it is used to check whether and how therapy for asthma is working.
During the initial diagnosis, the doctor will first ask for a precise description of the symptoms, signs and complaints. This includes, for example, possible triggers or dependencies on the environmental situation, a description of personal fitness, and questions about previous illnesses, allergies, smoking habits, and family history.
This is followed by a physical examination, especially with listening to the lungs, in order to ultimately make a diagnosis.
Asthma: examinations necessary
For children in particular, additional examinations may be performed; also to rule out other diseases such as cystic fibrosis and to differentiate asthma from spastic bronchitis. Examinations include x-rays, blood tests, pulmonary function tests (spirometry, bodyplethysmography), and allergy tests.
The peak flow meter can be used to measure the maximum flow rate of exhaled air. This is a good parameter to check the severity of asthma and thus the effectiveness of therapy. In addition, this examination is easy to perform yourself with the small device. Therefore, it is well suited for self-measurement at home.
