Mild asthma is the most common form of the chronic lung disease, but Rochester Regional Health says it can still involve persistent airway inflammation and should not be dismissed because symptoms are infrequent.
People with mild asthma may have symptoms more than twice a week but not every day, with nighttime symptoms no more than twice a month. Symptoms can include coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and shortness of breath.
How asthma is identified
Triggers can include pollen, dust, smoke, respiratory infections, exercise and cold air. Family history, allergies and environmental exposure can raise risk, and asthma can first appear in adulthood.
Clinicians may review symptoms and medical history and use spirometry or peak-flow testing to measure breathing. Allergy testing and blood tests for markers such as eosinophils or immunoglobulin E may be useful in some cases.
Imaging is not typically used to confirm asthma, but it can help rule out other causes of breathing problems. Rochester Regional recommends medical evaluation because symptoms may overlap with other conditions.
Treatment and prevention
Melissa Bremer, a family nurse practitioner with Rochester Regional, said treatment can include a quick-relief inhaler such as albuterol and, when appropriate, a low-dose controller medication. Allergy medicines may help when allergens are a trigger.
Patients can reduce exposure by monitoring pollen, avoiding smoke, improving indoor air and covering the mouth and nose in cold weather. Vaccination against respiratory illnesses may also reduce the chance that infections will worsen symptoms.
An asthma action plan can help people track symptoms, medications and warning signs. A clinician may adjust treatment if rescue medication is needed more often or normal activities become difficult.
When to seek help
Mild asthma can worsen over time or during an attack. Rochester Regional says patients should contact a provider when symptoms become more frequent, interrupt sleep or no longer respond as expected to prescribed medication.
Severe difficulty breathing, inability to speak normally, blue or gray lips, or symptoms that do not improve after a rescue inhaler require emergency care.
The health system advises patients not to stop or change asthma medicine without discussing it with a licensed clinician.
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