DISEASES
description
Asthma is a common and often chronic disease that is characterized by inflammation of airways and lungs. Symptoms often include shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing and wheezing.
With the symptoms of asthma being related to autoimmune diseases that affect the lungs, it is recommended to test suspected asthma patients on lung-based autoimmune diagnostic tests to determine whether there is an underlying autoimmune disease such as Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA), interstitial lung disease (ILD), or pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP).
Symptoms
- Shortness of breath
- Chest tightness or pain
- Wheezing when exhaling (common sign of asthma in children)
- Trouble sleeping due to shortness of breath, coughing or wheezing
- Coughing or wheezing attacks that are worsened by a respiratory virus, such as a cold or the flu