Signs & Symptoms of Worsening Asthma

Signs of worsening asthma include:

Increasing use of reliever medication

Blue reliever medication not as effective as normal in relieving symptoms

Blue reliever medication effect is not lasting four (4) hours

Waking at night with asthma symptoms

Experiencing symptoms upon waking in the morning

Experiencing symptoms with exercise  

See your doctor or use your Asthma Action Plan if you are experiencing any signs of worsening asthma. Acting early can prevent further deterioration of your asthma and prevent an attack or serious asthma episode. An asthma attack can take anything from a few minutes to a few days to develop. During an asthma attack, chest tightness, coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath can quickly worsen.

If you or someone you know is having an asthma attack, follow the four step Asthma First Aid Plan, detailed below and call an ambulance (000). Continue to follow the Asthma First Aid Plan while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

Signs of a severe asthma attack

Signs could include:

Gasping for breath

Severe chest tightness

Inability to speak more than one or two words per breath

Feeling distressed and anxious

Little or no improvement after using blue reliever medication (Airomir, Asmol, Bricanyl or Ventolin)

Sucking in of the throat and rib muscles

Blue colouring around the lips (can be hard to see if skin colour also changes)

Pale and sweaty  

As well as the above symptoms, young children appear restless, unable to settle and may have problems eating or drinking due to shortness of breath. They may also have severe coughing and vomiting.

The signs of an asthma attack vary, so a person with asthma may not show all the above signs during a severe attack.

Asthma First Aid Plan

1 Sit the person upright and remain calm. Do not leave them alone.

2 Give 4 puffs of a blue reliever (Airomir, Asmol, Bricanyl or Ventolin), one puff at a time, through a spacer*. Get the person to take 4 breaths from the spacer after each puff.

3 Wait for 4 minutes

4 If there is little or no improvement, repeat Steps 2 and 3.

If there is still little or no improvement, call an ambulance immediately (Dial 000).

Continue to repeat Steps 2 and 3 while waiting for the ambulance.

*Use a blue puffer on its own if there is no spacer.