The disease accounts for about fifteen million lost days in workplace and another fourteen million lost school days.



An alarming number of people suffer from asthma without even being aware of the fact. That's partly because many symptoms of the disease resemble those of other transient illnesses like, for example, the common cold.

Asthma symptoms include wheezing, chough, short breath and a tight sensation in the chest region. As you can see, it is easy to dismiss some of these symptoms without much thought.

If your chough does not go away and persists for weeks or months on the end without responding to medication, it may definitely be a cause for concern. These persistent choughs often continue at a low level for many weeks. Then they may worsen and sometimes get so bad that you feel that your chest is exploding when you chough.

Wheezing sounds when you go to bed at night may be another symptom. This can be mistaken for a cold, but if it persists, you must get it checked out.

Exercise induced asthma is fairly common as well. If you walk for a relatively short distance and find yourself panting and short of breath, you might assume that it is a result of your lack of fitness. It might be, but it is also possible that you have asthma that is set off by exercise.

Watch out for these symptoms as well.

* A persistent cold or that just does not go away

* Frequent choughs at night, sometimes so strong that you wake up from sleep

* Severe wheezing when you have a cold

* Tendency to wheeze when you exert yourself

* Breathing difficulties or wheezing during cold weather

Be sure to see your doctor if you have any of these symptoms. Particularly if someone in your family has asthma or if you are allergic to pets, pollen, dust or other substances.

Having these symptoms does not necessarily mean that you have asthma, but it is important that you discover the underlying cause.

Asthma is bad enough in adults. In children, it is far worse and can be a very traumatic experience for them.

Untreated asthma in children can lead to poor performance in school, interpersonal problems, poor self esteem and more. It is critical to be aware of asthma symptoms and recognize them early if they occur in children.