Feeling out of breath after an intense workout is normal. But if you have trouble breathing at other times, you may have asthma. Over 25 million people, including 5 million children, live with asthma in the United States. If you’re one of them, our urgent care experts can help you manage your condition and get back to the activities you enjoy most.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung condition that causes the airways in your lungs to narrow, swell and produce excess mucus. The muscles around your airways can also tighten. As a result, it’s harder to breathe and get fresh oxygen into your body. Some people experience mild asthma, but the condition can also be life-threatening.

With asthma, your lungs function as they should most of the time. When your asthma symptoms worsen, it’s called an asthma attack. During these episodes, you cough and make a wheezing or whistling sound as you struggle to breathe.

Most people first experience asthma symptoms after age 18. This condition is adult-onset asthma. Children can also develop asthma, but it is less common. Pediatric or childhood asthma develops before age 5, and children may outgrow it.

Asthma causes

The reason some people develop asthma isn’t clear. But some factors can increase your risk, including:

  • Allergies
  • Exposure to secondhand smoke or other types of pollution
  • Excess weight or obesity
  • Family history
  • Respiratory infections like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
  • Smoking

These factors can trigger an asthma attack:

  • Cold air
  • Dust mites
  • Certain medications like aspirin, beta blockers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
  • Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
  • Mold
  • Pests like cockroaches or mice
  • Pet dander
  • Stress
  • Sulfites and preservatives added to food and drinks

Types of asthma

You may be diagnosed with one of several types of asthma:

  • Intermittent asthma. Symptoms come and go. You feel normal in between attacks.
  • Persistent asthma. Mild, moderate or severe asthma symptoms exist most of the time.
  • Allergic asthma. Allergens like mold, pet dander or pollen can trigger asthma attacks.
  • Non-allergic asthma. Exercise, illness, stress or weather can cause an asthma attack.

Our providers may also categorize your asthma as:

  • Asthma-COPD overlap syndrome. This joint condition combines asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Both conditions make it harder for you to breathe.
  • Exercise-induced asthma. Workouts and other activities can cause an asthma attack.
  • Occupational asthma. If you work around and inhale irritating substances, you can develop asthma symptoms.

People at risk for asthma

Asthma can affect anyone. But people over age 18 and individuals who have allergies are at greater risk. Smokers or people exposed to secondhand or thirdhand smoke also have a higher risk. Asthma is also more common in females and Black patients. Hormones increase risk for females, and multiple social determinants of health raise risk for Black individuals.

Asthma symptoms

Asthma affects each person differently. You may have mild symptoms with infrequent asthma attacks. Or you may feel symptoms constantly. The most common signs of asthma include:

  • Chest tightness or pain
  • Coughing or wheezing episodes
  • Difficulty sleeping due to breathing struggles
  • Difficulty talking
  • Painful breathing
  • Shortness of breath
  • Wheezing when exhaling (common in children with asthma)

Your asthma is getting worse if:

  • Asthma attacks are more severe and occur more often
  • Breathing becomes more difficult
  • Quick-relief (rescue) inhaler use increases

You can experience a different combination of symptoms with every asthma attack. If you have persistent asthma, your signs and symptoms may vary.

Diagnosing asthma

A physical exam is the first step in diagnosing asthma. Our providers use this assessment to rule out conditions like COPD or respiratory infections that may cause breathing problems. They will also ask you about the severity of your symptoms.

The next step is testing your lung function. These tests measure how well air moves in and out when you breathe. You will take these tests twice — once before a medication called a bronchodilator and once after. Bronchodilators, like albuterol, relax your lung muscles and widen your airways, making it easier for you to breathe. If your lung function improves after taking the medication, you likely have asthma.

Lung function tests include:

  • Peak flow. This simple, hand-held device measures how hard you breathe when exhaling into it. Low peak flow may indicate poor lung function and worsening asthma.
  • Spirometry. This common lung function test takes two measurements: how much air you breathe out and how quickly you can exhale. For the test, our providers will place a clip on your nose and ask you to blow as hard as you can into the spirometry machine.

If our providers still need additional information to make an accurate diagnosis, they may recommend these additional tests:

  • Allergy testing. These skin or blood tests can determine if you’re allergic to dust, mold, pets or pollen. Our providers may prescribe allergy shots to reduce the impact of these asthma triggers.
  • Exercise and temperature tests. Our providers will measure your level of airway obstruction before and after you exercise or breathe in cold air.
  • Imaging. Chest X-rays can identify structural abnormalities or diseases that may cause breathing problems.
  • Methacholine test. Methacholine, a chemical in your body that restricts your airways, triggers asthma. If your airways narrow — even a little bit — when you inhale it, you likely have asthma. Our providers may suggest this test even if your other lung function test results are normal.
  • Nitric oxide test. Nitric oxide gas is always present in your breath. But when your airways are inflamed, your nitric oxide gas level is higher.
  • Sputum eosinophils. This test detects eosinophils (particularly white blood cells) in your sputum, the saliva-mucus mixture that comes up when you cough. High eosinophil levels can cause airway inflammation and trigger asthma symptoms.

Treating and managing asthma

There is no cure for asthma. Instead, our providers will focus on prescribing medications to help you manage your symptoms.

Our providers may prescribe medication based on your age, symptoms and triggers. They can suggest long-term, preventive medicines or quick-relief therapies.

Long-term medications provide continual asthma control and reduce the likelihood of attacks. But you must take these medicines every day. They include:

  • Biologic therapy. These new medications can help people with asthma that doesn’t respond well to inhaler therapy. They target the inflammatory cells that trigger asthma attacks.
  • Combination inhalers. These inhalers contain a long-acting beta agonist to relax your airways and a corticosteroid to reduce inflammation.
  • Inhaled corticosteroids. You may need to take these anti-inflammatory medications for several days to get the full benefit.
  • Leukotriene modifiers. Our providers may prescribe these medications to improve your breathing, reduce mucus congestion in your chest and throat and decrease the severity and number of your attacks.
  • Theophylline. This pill relaxes the muscles around your airways. It’s rarely used because it causes more side effects and does not work as well as other treatments. It may also require frequent blood testing.

Quick-relief medications can offer effective, fast symptom relief. They can reduce the severity of an asthma attack. Our providers may recommend that you use them before exercising. These medications include:

  • Anticholinergic agents. These inhaled medications relax your airways as soon as you breathe in.
  • Corticosteroids. These medications reduce airway inflammation caused by severe asthma. Physicians recommend only using them for a short time. Long-term use can cause serious side effects, including osteoporosis, problems with your stomach, liver or eyes, high cholesterol, limited growth and possible birth defects.
  • Short-acting beta agonists. These inhaled bronchodilators expand your airways within minutes.

Preventing asthma

It isn’t possible to stop yourself from getting asthma. But you can avoid asthma attacks. Staying away from your triggers is the best way to prevent these episodes. These healthy lifestyle behaviors can reduce your exposure to triggers:

  • Clean regularly. Try to clean your home weekly. Wear a mask to limit how much dust you inhale.
  • Cover up in the cold. Wear a face mask to cover your nose and mouth if you’re out in cold air.
  • Limit allergens in the bedroom. Dust can make asthma symptoms worse at night. Consider using dustproof covers on your pillow, mattress and box springs. Choose hypoallergenic pillows and blankets.
  • Prevent mold. Keep any damp areas like showers or bathrooms in your home clean to reduce mold growth.
  • Reduce humidity. Use a dehumidifier to reduce damp air in your house.
  • Reduce pet dander. If dander is one of your triggers, avoid pets with feathers or fur. Bathe and groom your pets regularly.
  • Remove carpet. Pick up or clean carpets that can trap asthma triggers.
  • Use fans. Placing fans around your home can lower indoor humidity, reduce airborne allergens and reduce your exposure to dust mites.
  • Wash your sheets. Wash your sheets at least once a week in hot water to clear away dust mites.

Find a Location

Our Urgent Care centers offer convenient locations near you with seamless online check-in, on-site imaging and labs, and medication to go, should you need it—we are open daily from 9 a.m. -9 p.m.

Insurance & Self Pay Pricing

We accept a wide range of insurance plans to offer you peace of mind. For those without insurance, competitive self-pay rates are available.

Recent News

Phone displaying the PineApp

Download the PineApp

  • 24/7 Urgent Care Online
  • Set Medication Reminders
  • Access Medical Records and Lab Results
  • Start your Urgent Care Check-In From Anywhere

Language Preference / Preferencia de idioma

I want to see the site in English

Continue In English

Quiero ver el sitio en Español

Continuar en español