When symptoms worsen, a person can have what is called an asthma attack, or an exacerbation. Over time, uncontrolled asthma can damage the airways in the lungs. While other conditions can cause the same symptoms as asthma, the pattern of symptoms in people who have asthma usually has some of the following characteristics. Asthma attacks, or exacerbations, are episodes that occur when symptoms get much worse and require a change in typical treatment.

These can come on gradually or suddenly and may be life-threatening. People who have severe asthma often get asthma attacks more often. Asthma is diagnosed based on your medical history, a physical exam, and results from diagnostic tests. You may need to see a team of healthcare providers, including your doctor; an asthma specialist, called a pulmonologist; or an allergy specialist, called an allergist. Your doctor will ask about your risk factors for asthma and your symptoms.

They may ask also about any known allergies. This includes how often symptoms occur, what seems to trigger your symptoms, when or where symptoms occur, and if your symptoms wake you up at night. Your doctor may ask you to perform the following tests to determine whether your symptoms are caused by asthma.

It can be hard to tell whether a child under age 6 has asthma or another respiratory condition, because young children often cannot perform a pulmonary function test such as spirometry.

If you are diagnosed with asthma, your doctor will work with you to create a treatment plan to manage your asthma symptoms and prevent asthma attacks. Treatment usually depends on your age, asthma severity, and response to a given treatment option.

Your doctor may adjust your treatment until asthma symptoms are controlled. Most people are treated long-term with daily controller s , along with another inhaler for short-term relief, when they have symptoms or to prevent symptoms.

An inhaler allows the medicine to go into the mouth and airways. Short-term relief medicines, also called quick-relief medicines, help prevent symptoms or relieve symptoms during an asthma attack.

They may be the only medicines needed for mild asthma or asthma that happens only with physical activity. Your doctor will prescribe a quick-relief inhaler for you to carry at all times. Your doctor may prescribe long-term control medicines to take daily to help prevent symptoms by reducing airway inflammation and preventing narrowing of the airways. Treatment with specific control medicines may differ depending on age, such as whether the person is an adult or child. Return to Causes to review what causes asthma symptoms.

If you have a severe asthma attack and need emergency care, you may be treated with medicines, such as those listed above, given with a nebulizer or IV. You may also receive oxygen therapy or breathing assistance.

This may include ventilator support or through a mask with forced air. In certain cases, your doctor may recommend a procedure called bronchial thermoplasty if you are 18 years or older and have severe asthma that remains uncontrolled despite using other treatments. In this procedure, your doctor will insert a bronchoscope into your airway through the mouth or the nose. This helps your doctor see inside the airways. Heat is used to reduce the muscle around the airway to help prevent constriction.

Read more about bronchial thermoplasty in our fact sheet. After being diagnosed with asthma, work with your doctor to learn how to manage it yourself. Because asthma symptoms may be different at different times, it is important to know which medicines to use to prevent and relieve symptoms. You can work with your doctor to develop a treatment plan, called an asthma action plan. Staying healthy also includes avoiding asthma triggers and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

Work with your doctor to create an asthma action plan that works for you. An asthma action plan is a written treatment plan document that describes the following. Your doctor will make sure you are using your inhaler correctly.

There are different types of inhalers. Review the way you use your inhaler at every medical visit. Sometimes asthma may get worse because of incorrect inhaler use. Watch our video on Asthma Action Plans to learn more.

Then, download a sample Asthma Action Plan. Asthma triggers are things that set off or worsen asthma symptoms. If you know that your asthma symptoms occur when you are exposed to specific triggers, it may be worthwhile to reduce your exposure to those triggers, using multiple different methods to reduce the exposure. Read more about reducing allergens in your home. Regular checkups are important to help your doctor determine how well you are controlling your asthma and adjust treatment if needed.

Your doctor will also do regular tests to see how well your lungs are working and how well air is flowing. Your medicines or dosages may change over time, based on changes in your condition or in your life, such as:.

Return to Treatment to review possible treatment options for your asthma. Ask your doctor about asthma training or support groups to help you keep asthma under control. Education can help you understand the purpose of your medicines, how to prevent symptoms, how to recognize asthma attacks early, and when to seek medical attention.

As part of your asthma action plan, your doctor may show you how to monitor your asthma using a peak flow meter. You can compare your numbers over time to make sure your asthma is controlled. A low number can help warn you of an asthma attack, even before you notice symptoms. Keeping a diary may help if you find it hard to follow your asthma action plan or the plan is not working well.

If you have any of the following experiences, record them in the diary and make an appointment to see your doctor. Bring the diary with you to your appointment. Your child also may seem more tired called fatigue , irritable, or moody.

Your doctor may recommend one or more of the following heart-healthy lifestyle changes to help keep asthma symptoms in check. Your doctor may recommend that you keep your medicine dose as low as possible to prevent long-term side effects. High doses of certain asthma medicines over time can increase your risk of cataracts and osteoporosis. A cataract is the clouding of lens in your eye. Osteoporosis is a disorder that makes your bones weak and more likely to break.

Keep your asthma under control and contact your doctor if anything changes. When asthma is unmanaged, it can lead to potentially life-threatening asthma attacks.

If you are pregnant, it can put the health of your unborn baby at risk. A written asthma action plan developed with your doctor can help you know when to call for emergency care. Asthma attacks can be more dangerous for some people. You should seek care immediately during an asthma attack if you or your child:.

For young children with asthma, call if they:. We are committed to advancing science and translating discoveries into clinical practice to promote the prevention and treatment of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders, including asthma.

Learn about the current and future NHLBI efforts to improve health through research and scientific discovery. Learn about the following ways the NHLBI continues to translate current research into improved health for people who have asthma. In support of our mission , we are committed to advancing asthma research in part through the following ways.

We lead or sponsor many studies on asthma. See if you or someone you know is eligible to participate in our clinical trials. To learn more about clinical trials at the NIH Clinical Center or to talk to someone about a study that might fit your needs, call the Office of Patient Recruitment Learn more about participating in a clinical trial.

View all trials from ClinicalTrials. After reading our Asthma Health Topic, you may be interested in additional information found in the following resources. This workshop will explore the current state of science and future research directions in the definition, standardi See also. Causes - Asthma. Airway narrowing in an asthma attack. The image on the left shows the location of the lungs in the body. The middle image is a close-up of a normal airway, and the image on the right shows a narrowed, inflamed airway typical of an asthma attack.

Risk Factors - Asthma. Environment or occupation Things in your environment, including at work or home, may raise your risk of developing asthma or make asthma symptoms worse. This exposure may also affect lung growth and development. Exposure to different microbes in the environment, especially early in life, can affect how the immune system develops.

These effects on the immune system may either increase or protect against the risk of developing asthma. Exposures that occur in the workplace, such as chemical irritants or industrial dusts, may also raise the risk of developing asthma in susceptible people.

This type of asthma is called occupational asthma. It may develop over a period of years, and it often lasts even after you are no longer exposed. Monitor your breathing. You may learn to recognize warning signs of an impending attack, such as slight coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath. But because your lung function may decrease before you notice any signs or symptoms, regularly measure and record your peak airflow with a home peak flow meter.

A peak flow meter measures how hard you can breathe out. Your doctor can show you how to monitor your peak flow at home. Identify and treat attacks early. If you act quickly, you're less likely to have a severe attack. You also won't need as much medication to control your symptoms. When your peak flow measurements decrease and alert you to an oncoming attack, take your medication as instructed.

Also, immediately stop any activity that may have triggered the attack. If your symptoms don't improve, get medical help as directed in your action plan.

Asthma care at Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission. This content does not have an English version. This content does not have an Arabic version. Overview Asthma attack Open pop-up dialog box Close. Asthma attack If you have asthma, the inside walls of the airways in your lungs can become inflamed and swollen.

Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Weinberger SE, et al. In: Principles of Pulmonary Medicine.

Elsevier; Accessed March 30, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Accessed March 25, Asthma adult. Mayo Clinic; Global strategy for asthma management and prevention update. Global Initiative for Asthma. Air pollution and viral lung infection may also lead to asthma. Occupational asthma occurs when someone who never had asthma develops it because he or she is exposed to something at work. This can happen if you develop an allergy to something at work such as mold or if you are exposed to irritants such as wood dust or chemicals at work over and over at lower levels or all at once at higher levels.

It can be hard to tell if someone has asthma, especially in children under age 5. Having a doctor check how well your lungs work and check for allergies can help you find out if you have asthma. During a checkup, a doctor will ask if you cough a lot, especially at night. He or she will also ask whether your breathing problems are worse after physical activity or at certain times of year. The doctor will then ask about chest tightness, wheezing, and colds lasting more than 10 days. He or she will ask whether anyone in your family has or has had asthma, allergies, or other breathing problems.

Finally, the doctor will ask questions about your home and whether you have missed school or work or have trouble doing certain things. The doctor may also do a breathing test, called spirometry, to find out how well your lungs are working by testing how much air you can breathe out after taking a very deep breath before and after you use asthma medicine.

An asthma attack may include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing, and trouble breathing. As the air moves through your lungs, the airways become smaller, like the branches of a tree are smaller than the tree trunk. During an asthma attack, the sides of the airways in your lungs swell and the airways shrink. Less air gets in and out of your lungs, and mucous that your body makes clogs up the airways.

When you control your asthma:.