Symptoms

Asthma symptoms range from minor to severe and vary from person to person. You may have mild symptoms and asthma attacks may be infrequent. Between asthma flare-ups you may feel normal and have no trouble breathing. You may have symptoms primarily at night, during exercise or when you're exposed to specific triggers. Or you may have asthma symptoms all the time. Asthma signs and symptoms include:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest tightness or pain
• Trouble sleeping caused by shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
• An audible whistling or wheezing sound when exhaling (wheezing is a common sign of asthma in children)
• Bouts of coughing or wheezing that are worsened by a respiratory virus such as a cold or the flu

Signs that your asthma is probably getting worse include:

• More frequent and bothersome asthma signs and symptoms
• Increasing difficulty breathing (this can be measured by a peak flow meter, a simple device used to check how well your lungs are working)
• An increasingly frequent need to use a quick-relief inhaler