Characteristic Features of Asthma
Clinical Presentation
- Asthma is characterized by polyphonic wheezing with exercise, which is a cardinal sign of the disease, according to the American Thoracic Society 1, 2, 3
- The hallmark of asthma is that symptoms are provoked by triggers including exercise, making exercise-induced wheezing highly characteristic of the disease 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
- During exacerbations, patients will often have wheeze and reduced lung function, with the presence of wheeze being a defining clinical feature 1, 2, 3
- Cough is a symptom of asthma, but it is variable and intermittent rather than continuous 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Diagnosis and Differential Diagnosis
- Continuous productive cough is more suggestive of other conditions like bronchiectasis, COPD, or chronic bronchitis, rather than asthma 1
- A normal chest X-Ray between episodes is not specific to asthma and can be seen in many intermittent respiratory conditions 1, 4, 5, 6
- The diagnosis of asthma is clinical and there is no confirmatory radiographic investigation 4, 5, 6, 7
- Recurrent respiratory infections are not characteristic of asthma itself, but rather suggest other diagnoses such as bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, or immunodeficiency 1