Now, asthma is known to be an inflammatory process. Sputum production increases and mucus is often thick and tenacious. Chronic inflammation is thought to result in hyper-responsiveness to inhaled irritants. Emphasis is now placed on treating the inflammation as well as relieving the bronchospasm. Good management of asthma requires early recognition of signs and symptoms.
Symptoms are unique to each individual.
Experiences from one attack may not be repeated with the next attack. Asthma may affect patients on a daily basis, only at night, or during exercise. It is sometimes difficult for patients to subjectively assess the severity of their illness based on symptoms. Common warning signs indicative of an impending episode include fatigue, scratchy throat, cough, headache, increase in sputum, rhinitis, a change in respiration's, heaviness in the chest, moodiness, dark circles under the eyes, paleness, or a change in peak flow readings. Patients are typically able to identify some signs that will serve as a warning to them.