During an attack of asthma, there is a contraction of lung tubes when the patient wants to breathe out the polluted air from the body.



Because of this contraction or spasm, the patient finds it very difficult and looks for fresh air spots such as windows or outside the house under the wrong impression that the feeling of suffocation is because of lack of air inside the room.

A sleeping position makes the condition worse and the patient spends night after night sitting up in bed. When the air passes out through these contracted or spasms tubes, there is a characteristic wheezing sound. This condition becomes worse when large amounts of mucus, produced in the tubes, obstruct the passage of air.






Along with the changes in the lungs, the patient may also suffer from congestion and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose, sinusitis, tonsillitis and pharyngitis. In fact, in classic cases of asthma, the ailment starts from the nose. The patients suffer from cold, a few bouts of sneezing, watering from the nose and eyes and heaviness of the head. They may get headaches, sore throat and even tonsillitis.This reaction in the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract spreads gradually after a few days to the bronchiole. To start with, there may be bouts of cough with or without expectoration. Because of the treatment or even otherwise, the ailment from the nose and throat may disappear, but will continue to affect the tubes of the air passage. A few bouts of this attack may be ignored by the patients as ordinary bronchitis. But subsequently, this causes breathing problems thereby manifesting clear signs and symptoms of asthma.