Did you know that a staggering 22 million Americans suffer from asthma symptoms? While some consider asthma to be a childhood lung disorder, adult-onset asthma is very much a reality. Recognizing the symptoms of asthma in adults is a crucial step in the diagnosis of this chronic disease.

What is Adult-Onset Asthma?

Swelling of the airway lining, inflammation of the airway lining, excess production of thick mucus, narrowing of airway passages: these lung conditions confirm the presence of asthma. People over the age of 20 who are diagnosed with asthma symptoms are classified as having adult-onset asthma. Before delving into the intricacies of adult-onset asthma and the specific symptoms of asthma in adults, let’s determine the various triggers that may cause asthma symptoms to develop in adults. There are in fact several different categories of adults who are at a risk of developing this chronic disease including:

1. Adults suffering from allergies (especially cat allergies).
2. Adults who have just recovered from a virus or a disease such as the flu or common cold.
3. People who are constantly exposed to environmental pollutants and irritants which trigger symptoms of asthma in adults. These environmental irritants can include car fumes, tobacco smoke, dust, mold and even perfume.
4. Women taking estrogen after menopause for duration of 10 years or more.

Are there Inherent Risk Factors for Adult-Onset Asthma?

Yes, not all symptoms of asthma in adults are a result of environmental factors or allergies. Some risk factors cannot be controlled because they are inherent, including the following:

1. Gender: Females reportedly experience more severe asthma symptoms than their male counterparts. Moreover, women undergoing hormonal changes (pregnant women or those experiencing menopausal symptoms) are at a greater risk of falling prey to this lung disorder as compared to men in the same age bracket.
2. Race and ethnicity: Statistics show that African-Americans have higher asthma rates than other ethnic groups. They are also more likely to die from asthma than members of other ethnicities. However some researchers are of the opinion that socioeconomic class divisions have a stronger role to play in these statistics than race or ethnicity.
3. Obesity:  Studies have drawn strong links between obesity and asthma. Moreover, obese asthma sufferers have a harder time getting their asthma symptoms under control than healthy asthma sufferers. Losing weight is a sure shot way of decreasing the severity of this disease.

What are the Symptoms of Asthma in Adults?

Recognizing these asthma symptoms early on will help you seek medical assistance as soon as you suffer from an asthma attack.

1. Dyspnea (shortness of breath): One of the most stressful asthma symptoms for sufferers is dyspnea, in which breathing becomes shallow, difficult and fast.
2. Chest tightness or chest pain: Chest tightness without any other asthma symptoms may be an early indication of a serious attack.
3. Rapidly increasing heart rate.
4. Sweating profusely.
5. Wheezing: This is recognized as a whistling sound caused by a narrowing of the airways.
6. Coughing: For most people, an unpleasant dry cough is the first symptom of this chronic disease.

Coughing with the production of thick, stringy mucus marks the end of an asthma attack. In the days, and sometimes weeks, following an asthma attack the airways stay inflamed without any prominent asthma symptoms. This inflammation must be treated so as to avoid the possibility of another attack.