People can develop asthma during adulthood, even if they've never had any problems earlier in life - even during middle age or even older. This is known as Adult Onset Asthma.
Proper diagnosis is important because asthma symptoms are often similar to other illnesses that can develop in adults, including chest problems, cough and even heart disease.
The most common asthma symptoms in adults include the following:
- Wheezing
- Shortness of breath
- Persistent cough
- Excess mucus production
- Pain or tightness in the chest
There are number of things that can trigger asthma in adulthood. One of the most common - and severe - triggers is smoking. Cigarette smoke can cause acute asthma episodes as well as increased sensitivity to other allergens.
Smoking will always make asthma more severe and can also lead to other problems such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Smoking doesn't only effect the smoker who is asthmatic, either. Second hand smoke will aggravate asthma for anyone exposed to it, and fetal exposure to maternal smoking can also lead to early onset asthma.
Some of the other common asthma triggers in adults include:
- Pollen, mold and other allergens
- Strong odors
- Infections
- Certain medications such as beta-blockers and anti-inflammatory drugs
- Dust
- Exercise
Asthma is a permanent condition - not something that is treated then gone. Even when the symptoms are not apparent, the condition still exists.
As people get older, the lungs become less and less capable, resulting in more pronounced effects from asthma. For this reason, adult onset asthma must be managed properly because if the lungs deteriorate, they may never recover. The sooner it can be identified, the better.
