Symptoms

If you have asthma, your airways are more sensitive than usual.

This means your airways are more likely to react to certain things in the environment (called triggers).

Triggers can cause the airways to become narrow and inflamed, leading to asthma symptoms. Avoiding triggers, if possible, can help to control asthma.

What are the symptoms of asthma?

  • Wheeze or a whistling sound as you breathe
  • Tightness in the chest
  • Shortness of breath
  • Cough (especially at night or early morning)

You do not have to have all of these symptoms to be diagnosed with asthma.

Depending on how severe your asthma is, your doctor may prescribe medication to help control these symptoms. For more information about how to manage your asthma symptoms, click here.