Symptoms, Signs and Complications of Bronchial Asthma.
Having seen what is Bronchial Asthma and studied its causes in the previous post, we shall discuss here the Symptoms of Bronchial Asthma, the Signs of Bronchial Asthma and the Complications of Bronchial Asthma.
Symptoms of Bronchial Asthma.
Symptoms, when present, are seen more at night and/or early morning. This is possibly due to lower temperatures and higher humidity during the night and early morning hours. Both these factors are known to be trigger factors for an asthma attack.
- Shortness of breadth.
- Wheezing.
- Cough with or without sputum. Sputum tends to be white, but can turn yellow or green, if bacterial infection sets in.
- Tightness in the chest.
- Rapid rate of breathing.
- Chest pain in a severe attack.
Signs of Bronchial Asthma: (what the doctor notices).
- Rapid heart rate and pulse.
- Rhonchi (typical whistle like sounds) heard through the stethoscope on the chest.
- In severe attacks, pale skin, cold skin, sweat, and bluish discoloration of the nails.
Complications of Bronchial Asthma.
- In chronic bronchial asthma which has developed in childhood, the thorax under goes certain developmental changes due to extra effort required to breathe. The sternum caves in and the ribs get lifted upward and forward. This is called the pigeon chest.
Picture of pigeon chest in Bronchial Asthma.
- Status Asthamaticus is a condition where the patient fails to respond to the usual line of treatment. It is seen in chronic asthma patients. It is a life threatening complication and immediate hospitalization and emergency treatment is required.
Previous: Bronchial Asthma – Causes.
Next: Bronchial Asthma – Treatment and Prevention.
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