Symptoms

During an asthma attack, several changes take place in your lungs:

1. The muscles around your airways tighten and block the airflow.
   
   
2. Cells in the airways produce more mucus than normal, which clogs up your airways.
   
   
3. The wall of your airway becomes swollen due to increased inflammation.

People with asthma generally experience changes over time, with some better and some worse periods. Symptoms of asthma vary from person to person and include:

• Severe or recurrent wheezing
• Night-time coughing
• Colds lasting longer than 10 days
• Coughing / wheezing / chest tightness after:
  • exercise
  • exposure to allergens
  • breathing cold air

These symptoms may be caused by other conditions so experiencing them doesn’t necessarily mean you have asthma. However, you should consult your doctor if you have any of these problems.