
It’s only when asthma symptoms develop into an asthma attack that you should seek immediate medical help, especially if you don’t have your treatment with you. Severe asthma attack symptoms include being too breathless to speak, dizziness, blue fingers or lips and fainting. These can be easily treated with the right medication. Moderate asthma symptoms include wheezing, coughing and chest tightness. What to look out for with asthma symptoms Respiratory infections and physical activity are also linked to asthma attacks, but ultimately the condition can be triggered by many factors which vary from one person to the next. Asthma rates have also risen in urban areas in the past few decades, which has led some to suggest that air pollution may contribute towards it. Genetics, the environment, and the relationship between these two factors are thought to play a role. While we know what can trigger an attack, the root cause of asthma isn’t entirely clear. Corticosteroids seem to be the best treatment for most people. We’re still learning about the condition, but it can’t be easily treated with many of the usual medications. Eosinophil counts measure the level of white blood cells in your body and can help monitor the condition.Įosinophilic asthma usually starts in adults between the ages of 35 and 50. There’s a rare type of asthma called eosinophilic asthma , which is when your body produces too many white blood cells. You can get acute or chronic asthma, seasonal asthma (which occurs at certain times of the year) and exercise-induced asthma too. There’s also occupational asthma, which you can develop in the workplace (usually due to an allergy), and nocturnal asthma (which occurs at night). Allergic asthma is caused by allergic reactions to specific substances. Adult-onset asthma first presents in adulthood, while childhood asthma occurs when you’re a child. There are several different forms of asthma that you can develop. Some people grow out of asthma, but it’s normally a long-term condition if you get it as an adult. It affects more boys than girls in early childhood, but this gender ratio switches amongst adults. You’re more likely to get it as a child than during adulthood, but you can still develop it when you’re a bit older. It’s more common in developed countries, but the prevalence of it is increasing in less developed countries too. Worldwide, it’s thought to affect more than 300 million people, and be prevalent in 4.5% of the global population. More than 8 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with asthma (so around 12% of the population), with approximately 5.4 million receiving treatment for it. There’s currently no cure for it, but inhalers can prevent or relieve symptoms, so asthma can be well-managed without it affecting your life too much. Minor cases can be a nuisance, but more severe cases may be life threatening.

It’s a condition that affects the lungs, with swelling of the airways and tightness in the chest making it more difficult to breathe. Asthma is a condition which can be serious, and needs to be managed with the right medication.
