What Are the Hidden Asthma Symptoms in Older People?

Asthma, being a chronic disease of the respiratory system, can manifest at any point in a person's life. Anyone can have it during their childhood, teenage years, young adulthood, and even at their senior years, which is why it is really important for everyone to learn more about the illness, so you can better cope with it once it hits you.

However, asthma symptoms in older people can be quite hard to detect. This is because as most adults tend to develop a good number of other ailments, the common symptoms, like shortness of breath and chest pains, can easily just be attributed to another disease. Also, the lack of knowledge of some that asthma can be developed at any age also makes quick diagnosis of adult asthma barely possible.

But if you look at it, asthma symptoms in older people are basically the same as regular asthma symptoms. It includes shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, fatigue, weakness, and chest tightening. The real problem, however, is that these asthma symptoms are too general and can easily be taken as symptoms for other diseases, especially if the patient has other ailments.

This is why to help you better ascertain whether your condition is really asthma, here are some hidden asthma symptoms in older people:

1. Depression and anxiety. More of a trigger rather than symptoms, these two can easily be the cause, yet also help you in recognizing adult asthma.

2. Sleep apnea. This condition always signals that something is wrong with the body, so if you notice this with the other common asthma symptoms in older people, then you have better chances of knowing that what you or your loved one has is really asthma.

3. Dry itchy cough. Although coughing can be quite a common illness for older people, it can still be a sign of asthma especially if it is dry, without mucus or phlegm, and usually takes place on colder days and at night.

4. Side effects from medication. Another trigger/asthma symptom in older people, having side effects from a handful of different drugs can really tell whether it is asthma or not. Some examples of these medications that can easily cause side effects are aspirin and various other anti inflammatory meds, most of which are for arthritis and body pain.

Keep in mind that it is highly important that once these asthma symptoms in older people show in you or your loved one, you should make sure that you do your best to get a correct diagnosis. As asthma in adults usually gets misdiagnosed or under-diagnosed, it is your task to learn more about it, so you can be sure that you'll get the best treatment for you as asthma can easily lead to a good number of other complications if not treated properly.