Why Asthma Can Hit Harder When You're an Adult

May is National Asthma Awareness Month and we’re happy to join with health care providers across the nation in providing information about adult-onset asthma and how it can affect your health.

Dr. Benjamin A. Laracuente is a highly respected pulmonologist who leads the team here at Tristate Pulmonary Medical Practice in Monaca, Pennsylvania. Offering top-rated medical care to residents throughout Beaver County and the greater Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, region, Dr. Laracuente is well known for his expertise in treating asthma in children and adults.

Read what this talented expert has to say about-adult onset asthma and why it may be harder to control than asthma that’s diagnosed in childhood.

What are the symptoms of adult-onset asthma?

Adult-onset asthma can develop at any age and produces symptoms similar to those that occur in childhood asthma, which may include:

• Difficulty breathing
• Dry cough that often worsens during the night
• Whistling sound (wheezing) when exhaling
• Sensation of chest pressure or tightness
• Shortness of breath with physical exertion
• Frequent chest colds that last longer than the average 4-10 days

Unlike childhood asthma, which typically flares up periodically and then remains quiet until triggered by a viral infection, allergies, etc., adult-onset asthma symptoms tend to be more persistent and often require daily treatment.     

What causes adult-onset asthma?

It’s not clear why some adults develop asthma but some factors may increase your risk, such as:

• Obesity
• Allergies
• Prolonged exposure to environmental pollutants and irritants
• Severe episode of the flu or a cold 

Interestingly, hormonal fluctuations linked to pregnancy or menopause may also play a role in adult-onset asthma in women, who are more likely than men to develop asthma after age 20. 

Why is adult onset-asthma harder to treat?

Adult onset-asthma symptoms are often blamed on other chronic health issues more common in adults, such as:

• Heart failure
• Stomach problems and conditions such as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
• Physical deconditioning caused by inactivity, excess weight, or the effects of aging
• Hiatal hernia

The delay in an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment often leads to worsening lung function that makes adult-onset asthma more difficult to treat from the start.

Unfortunately, many of the medications used to treat asthma can interfere with the drugs used for coexisting, adult-type conditions such as heart failure, hypertension, and many others. This makes it more difficult to design an effective treatment strategy for adults with asthma.

Also, the muscles in your chest wall become weaker and lungs lose elasticity as you age, which can increase the problems associated with asthma and decrease the effectiveness of treatment in adults. This makes it doubly important that your asthma treatment plan is tailored to fit your circumstance.  

For an effective, customized treatment plan that’s designed to address the effects of adult-onset asthma, schedule an evaluation at Tristate Pulmonary Medical Practice today. Call our office or book your visit online.