How to Determine an Asthma Cough

When a person has asthma they will have a variety of symptoms. Difficulty breathing and swollen airways is the most common form of asthma symptom. However, many people that have asthma will also have a distinctive asthma cough.

An asthma cough is different then the normal everyday cough. It has a wheezing sound to it and comes from the chest. You may notice that mucus comes up with an asthma cough. This is because during an asthma attack mucus builds up in the airways. An asthma cough will also be very breathy. During an asthma attack, catching your breath will become more difficult and coughing may be the only way to do so. When coughing during an asthma attack you may even notice slight regurgitation.

Chronic cough is sometimes related to asthma as well. If you have had a cough for a few days or weeks, chances are it is caused by cough variant asthma. This type of asthma is categorized by having a chest cough, but nothing else.  The cough will be the only symptoms and therefore many times overlooked.  The cough is your bodies way of trying to open the airways. However, it doesn’t always work. Having the asthma cough could trigger an attack and make the existing problems worse.

An asthma cough cannot be treated the same way as bronchitis or other cough-related ailments. You would have to treat the asthma for the cough to subside. Inhaled corticosteroids are the most common forms of asthma cough treatment. The corticosteroid will reduce swelling, get rid of the mucus and heal the irritation. There will be no reason for the cough and therefore it will disappear. When you experience a sudden asthma cough outbreak, taking a dose of an inhaler will also help the cough disappear.

Sometimes what you may suspect to be an asthma cough could be caused by a different ailment. If the asthma cough keeps returning even after treatment you should speak with your doctor. You may need stronger treatment, or it could be an underlying problem. Knowing what an asthma cough is could help you get rid of your symptoms for good.