Coughing, wheezing and dyspnea (the feeling of shortness of breath) are the most common symptoms of respiratory diseases, both chronic and acute, which can lead to misdiagnoses. To help us differentiate these asthmatic symptoms from others caused by any other cause, we are going to explain a series of peculiarities.

Let's start at the beginning, what is asthma?

Asthma is a disease of the respiratory tract (bronchi) that is characterized by an excessive response of the same to certain stimuli. This means that when a person with asthma breathes, for example, a substance to which their respiratory tract is sensitive or inhales cold air, their bronchi close due to inflammation and sudden contraction of their walls, which prevents the air we breathe from circulating properly inside them.

This closure of the airways produces the characteristic symptoms of asthma, such as coughing, wheezing and dyspnea.

The fundamental difference between symptoms of asthmatic origin and those of non-asthmatic origin is that when an asthmatic takes their rescue medication or corticosteroids, the symptoms disappear or diminish.

We will not be dealing with a case of asthma if the affected person takes the medication prescribed by their doctor but their symptoms do not improve or disappear within 5 days or there is no improvement in lung function and, therefore, in breathing.

What could be the cause of my cough if it's not asthma?

There are various respiratory and non-respiratory diseases that can cause coughing and lead to misdiagnosis.
If we are talking about acute diseases, that is, those that disappear after a few days, coughing can be present in upper respiratory tract infections, those that affect the nose, throat and larger bronchi, among which is the common cold, and pneumonia, an infection that affects the alveoli, among others.

Image source: https://atlasdeanatomia.com/humana/sistema-respiratorio/

It may also appear in the whooping cough characterized by spasm-like coughing associated with vomiting.

It may be suspected in unvaccinated people with coughing episodes lasting more than 2 weeks and who have no history of asthma or other causes of chronic cough.

If we talk about chronic diseases, that is, those that will accompany us for the rest of our lives, we can find cough in pathologies that appear from childhood such as:

• La cystic fibrosis, which is the second most common cause of chronic inflammatory airway disease. It is suspected when signs and symptoms persist despite the administration of high doses of systemic corticosteroids.
• La primary ciliary dyskinesia, This is a rare disease that causes persistent cough from birth and is usually associated with chronic otitis.
• La tracheomalacia, This occurs when the trachea or main bronchi are stiffer than normal, leading to blockages. When you cough, the walls of the trachea become irritated, which leads to a vicious circle that causes more coughing. If there are also secretions, these close these tubes even more and cause more coughing.

La COVID-19 It also has a cough as one of its most relevant symptoms. In this case it is a dry cough, that is, one that is not accompanied by the expulsion of phlegm.

Other diseases that usually appear in adulthood:

• La chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, a disease caused in most cases by tobacco consumption, in which there is a persistent obstruction of airflow, that is, the passage of air through the airways is constantly limited. This gives rise to symptoms such as coughing, especially in people who suffer from the chronic variety of bronchitis.
• bronchiectasis in which there is a deformity or widening of the airways without resolution due to an injury to their wall. Phlegm accumulates in them and is expelled by coughing.

Coughing can also be the result of other health problems that do not affect the respiratory system, such as gastroesophageal refluxgic.

In those cases where the cough lasts more than 8 weeks, and is not due to any of the causes listed above, we may be faced with a case of chronic cough or persistent.

As we can see, there are different pathologies that have cough as a common symptom, so carrying out a thorough medical evaluation before giving a diagnosis is essential to avoid making mistakes.

If you have a cough and you don't know what's causing it, go to your doctor and explain everything that's happening to you. The more information he or she has, the more accurate his or her diagnosis will be and the better he or she will be able to help you.

If you want to discuss your questions or concerns directly with our respiratory health professionals, call (+34) 91 822 78 74. If you prefer to have a video conference, send us an email with your availability. info@happyair.org and we will talk as soon as possible. Don't be left with any doubts, we are waiting for you!

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Sources:

https://www.elsevier.es/es-revista-pediatrics-10-articulo-pseudoasma-cuando-tos-sibilancias-disnea-13112840
https://www.yumpu.com/es/document/read/26022761/pseudoasma
https://www.msdmanuals.com/es-es/hogar/trastornos-del-pulm%c3%b3n-y-las-v%c3%adas-respiratorias/s%c3%adntomas-de-los-trastornos-pulmonares/tos-en-adultos
https://www.msdmanuals.com/es-es/hogar/salud-infantil/s%c3%adntomas-en-los-lactantes-y-ni%c3%b1os/tos-en-los-ni%c3%b1os?query=tos%20ni%c3%b1os