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Asthma is a terrible condition. You can live much of your entire life and only experience the mildest of symptoms, or you can live each and every day with the fear that it will be your last. These are two opposite ends of the spectrum, but they are almost entirely true of most cases of severe breathing difficulties.

Asthma attacks can be life stopping event or even fatal. Knowing the danger signals can help you recognise an imminent attack, and allow for life-saving time to take the proper medications and/or precautions.

How to Recognize an Asthma Attack

Asthma can be a very cunning disease. Raspy breathing, troubled or heavy breathing, and light to violent coughing can sometimes be attributed to outside influences (i.e. smoke, or exercise). But in the case of an asthma sufferer, they might be the onset of the early stages of an extremely bad asthma attack.

Severe wheezing on its own doesn't necessarily mean an asthma attack is coming on, but when this wheezing is heard and felt while both breathing in and out (inhaling and exhaling), you might be in the first throes of an asthma attack. This raspy wheezing isn't just heard, it can be felt when you or your carer places a hand upon your chest.

If you have the experience of a persistent cough that is accompanied by another asthma attack symptom, you may be developing for an asthma attack. Bear in mind that while a hacking cough in itself isn't a symptom, coughing uncontrollably is an indication that you are having an asthma attack.

Mild or severe chest pains or feeling pressure on the chest is another asthma attack symptom that may be confused with another problem- that is a heart attack. If you feel you have excruciating pain and pressure in your chest, but do not feel that the pain is traveling out to your left shoulder and arm, it is probably an asthma attack. The pain is a symptom that your body is trying hard to draw in fresh air. It can also be caused by your bronchial tubes or lungs tightening up.

These are some of the foremost asthma attack symptoms that you need to be aware of. If you are experiencing any one or maybe more of these asthma attack symptoms you should; Stop whatever you are doing, try to administer your medication - usually an inhaler or other drugs as prescribed, also try to get some help, and above all try to relax. Taking your medicine is very important to your recovery and survival.

If you find that your medicine isn't helping or not working quickly enough to relieve the symptoms, or that you asthma attack symptoms are getting worse, have someone call the emergency services. Don't take chances as calling for some assistance could save your life.

Now that you are know what the three main asthma attack symptoms are, you now know what to look for, and forewarned is forearmed!