When the airways in the lung are constricted and inflamed commonly when being exposed to triggers a patient gets an asthma attack: wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, chest tightness or pain, and increased expiratory and pulse rate. Symptoms, severity and frequency of asthma attacks greatly vary from patient to patient ranging from mild wheezing to severe asthmatic episodes which may lead to respiratory arrest and death if not receiving immediate medical assistance.
Asthma is commonly classified into four categories according to frequency and severity of asthma attacks:
– mild intermittent; symptoms are mild and rare – up to twice per week and up to two nights per night
– mild persistent; mild symptoms occur more than twice per week but once per day
– moderate persistent; daily asthma attacks and one nighttime episode per week
– severe persistent; daily asthma attacks and frequent at night
The majority of people suffer from mild to moderate asthma which does not affect quality of life and daily activities under condition if recognized and treated early. Otherwise severity and frequency of asthma attacks might worsen. It is highly important to visit your health care provider as soon as experiencing the early signs of asthma or early signs or asthma worsening (see article Symptoms of Asthma) and to identify triggers. Avoidance of exposure to triggers is crucial for asthma control as well as for preventing of asthma worsening. It is important to be aware that exposure to triggers does not only provoke an asthma attack but can also lead to asthma worsening. However, triggers avoidance is usually insufficient for asthma control which commonly also requires one or more asthma medications depending from person to person.
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