Asthma is a chronic (long-term) condition that causes inflammation and swelling in your airways. During an asthma attack, swollen airways become narrow and can fill with mucus, making it hard to breathe. In some circumstances, a serious asthma flare-up can be fatal.
Asthma symptoms
Common asthma symptoms include wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and tightness or pain in the chest.
The different types of asthma
A person with asthma is sensitive to certain triggers, such as pollen, cold or exercise. Asthma is categorised according to what triggers your symptoms. The different types of asthma include:
- Allergic asthma – This type of asthma causes your airways to tighten when you breathe in an allergen. Allergens are all around us and it is important to identify which allergen – or allergens – trigger your condition. Common allergens include: pets or animals (you might be sensitive to their fur, dander which are flakes of skin, saliva or pee); pollen which comes from grass, weeds and trees; mould which produces spores that can trigger an asthma attack; dust mites which live on soft surfaces such as carpets, pillows and mattresses; cockroaches which can trigger asthma through their faeces, saliva and body parts.
- Exercise-induced asthma – With this form of asthma, the airways constrict during exercise which makes it harder for you to breathe and may trigger coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath. Symptoms tend to be worse when the air is cold and dry or when the pollen count is high. Even without an asthma diagnosis, some people experience exercise-induced asthma symptoms, You may be more at risk if you have a family history of asthma or other airway conditions, or if you have allergies.
- Cough-variant asthma – If your only symptom is a dry cough, you may have cough-variant asthma. This type of asthma is often triggered by cold air and weather changes which can irritate the lungs. It can also be brought on by exercise. Cough-variant asthma can usually be managed with inhaled medications but without treatment more serious symptoms may develop. You may be particularly susceptible if you smoke, are obese or work around dust, chemicals or vapours.
- Occupational asthma – This type of asthma occurs when you are working in an environment that exposes you to substances that affect your airways. These might include chemicals, moulds, sawdust, flour, glues, latex or building materials. Sometimes occupational asthma develops over years but in other cases you might develop symptoms immediately after breathing in the substances. There are two types of work-related asthma. Occupational asthma is when you develop new breathing-related symptoms from inhaling substances at work. Work-exacerbated asthma occurs when existing asthma gets worse as a result of exposure to substances in the workplace.
- Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome (ACOS) – This is when you have both asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Triggers for asthma
As described above, there are many different triggers that could bring on an asthma attack. For example, you might be allergic to certain substances (pollen, dust mites etc), you might be exposed to substances that irritate your lungs (such as household cleaners, air fresheners, even perfumes), you might be affected by airborne toxins such as car exhaust fumes or factory emissions, or you might even by affected by a respiratory infection or stress. Some triggers can bring on an attack straight away while others produce an attack within hours or days.
Diagnosing asthma
It is important to get a proper diagnosis for asthma and to understand what triggers your symptoms so you can take steps to minimise your exposure wherever possible. A respiratory specialist will ask about your medical history, including any family history of asthma, your symptoms and when they occur. You may be offered a range of different tests to determine how well your lungs are working, to assess the causes of your asthma and to rule out other conditions. These could include:
- Blood tests or skin tests to pinpoint if an allergy is causing your symptoms and, if so, what you are allergic to. Your blood count may also be analysed to check for elevated levels of immunoglobin and eosinophil, which are associated with certain types of asthma.
- A peak flow meter which measures how much your airways are restricted during certain activities.
- Spirometry to assess how well air flows through your lungs.
- Chest X-rays or CT scans may also be used to assess for other possible causes of your symptoms.
A range of treatments are available for asthma, depending on the type you have and what triggers it. We will cover this in more detail in a future article.
Dr Shalin Diwanji is a respiratory specialist who can advise on all aspects of diagnosing and managing asthma.
On 14 May 2025, a patient wrote on the independent review site Doctify:
“After months of breathing difficulties due to asthma & chest infections requiring emergency visits to A&E, my mother saw Dr Diwanji who diagnosed the problem & proposed a treatment plan that has brought a major improvement to her in a matter of days.”
If you are concerned about your symptoms or would like advice about diagnosing or treating asthma, contact us today for a consultation.