Asthma is a chronic lung disease. It is defined simply as reversible airway obstruction. Reversibility occurs either spontaneously or with treatment. It has become increasingly important for parents to know asthma signs and symptoms because it is affecting up to one in four urban children in the developed world.

There is a wide spectrum of severity within the disease. Some sufferers only rarely experience symptoms, usually in response to triggers. Whereas other more severe cases may have marked airflow obstruction at all times.

It exists in two states: the chronic steady-state and the acute state of an exacerbation. The attacks are different depending on what state the patient is in.

Signs of an episode include wheezing, prolonged expiration, a rapid heart rate and lung sounds (audible through a stethoscope). During a serious attack there may be the presence of a pulse that is weaker during inhalation and stronger during exhalation plus over-inflation of the chest.

A sufferer can turn blue from lack of oxygen and can experience chest pain or even loss of consciousness. There is a chance that the patient will feel numbness in the limbs and palms may start to sweat just before slipping into unconsciousness. The person’s feet may become icy cold.

Allergy practitioners are a great resource and are generally very competent in critical areas that impact asthma patients. Their particular niche keeps them abreast of what the current challenges are within a particular area or geographic location. And as they are familiar with environmental complications that asthma sufferers are encountering throughout the year (seasonal allergies, outbreaks of flu, pollen blooms, pollution alerts, etc), they hold a frontline position in the army of asthma doctors and practitioners.

Common symptoms of asthma in a steady-state include: nighttime coughing, shortness of breath with exertion but not at rest. Others are a chronic ‘throat-clearing’ type cough and complaints of a tight feeling in the chest. Severity often correlates to an increase in all of the above. They can worsen gradually and unnoticed.

A point worthy of note is - not all sufferers wheeze. Between attacks there may be no asthma signs and symptoms.