What Makes Cough Variant Different Than Other Asthma Types?

With cough variant asthma, the usual set of asthma symptoms don't apply. Other asthma types all have similar symptoms, but cough variant asthma doesn't follow the standard rules.

Cough Variant Asthma Is Different

With most types of asthma there are four major symptoms that usually show up as listed below:

1. Coughing - this is usually what is called a wet cough because gunk (or mucus) is present when you cough.

2. Wheezing - usually when you breathe out

3. Tightness in the chest

4. Shortness of breath

But cough variant asthma is different. Instead of the usual four symptoms, coughing is the only symptom. And instead of the usual asthma cough, this cough is a very dry cough with no mucus coming out. This cough can also last for a long time, perhaps for many weeks. It can also be a loud cough, what is called a barking cough. Since there are no other symptoms like wheezing, chest tightness, or shortness of breath, this type of asthma often goes undiagnosed.

What is Asthma

Having cough variant asthma or any type of asthma means that the airways or breathing tubes going to your lungs are very sensitive to specific things. The name given to these things is your asthma triggers. Coming into contact with any of these things really gets your airways upset. And when your airways get upset, there is a very predictable list of things that usually happen.

1. There is swelling on the inside of your airways which makes them smaller.

2. The muscles on the outside of your airways try to squeeze the airways shut, making them even smaller.

3. Mucus, or what I prefer to call gunk, is formed on the insides of your airways.

With cough variant asthma, your airways do get irritated but not with the same results. They don't become so small so that you have trouble breathing. Since the muscles surrounding your airways don't try to squeeze your airways shut you won't feel the chest tightness. There is also no gunk being produced inside of the airways. The only symptom is the very persistent cough.

Asthma Triggers

If you have cough variant asthma, the causes of your asthma (or triggers) responsible for your chronic cough are similar to the causes for other types of asthma. No matter what type of asthma you have, you will also have your own personal list of things that your airways really hate.

If you come in contact with or do any of those things on your list, your airways will get really irritated. In the case of cough variant asthma, the result will be your chronic cough. The following things are a partial list of possible asthma triggers that might be what irritates your airways:

1. Smoke - all types

2. Allergens - like grass or pollen, etc

3. Aerosol sprays - like hair spray or deodorants, etc

4. Stress - or other strong emotions

5. Specific foods - could pretty much be anything

6. Dust mites - in your bedding, carpets, etc

7. Pet dander - all pets give off dander

8. Mold - both indoor and outdoor

9. Different types of air pollution

10. Weather - could be certain types of weather or changes in the weather

11. Cockroach droppings

12. and the list goes on

Any of the things on the above list could could be the cause of your cough variant asthma. In fact, you could have any number of those things on your list. Your asthma cause might not even be on this list. Everybody has their own list and the way that you are affected by something on the list will be different from the way that it affects somebody else. Having cough variant asthma will see some people get irritated airways a lot more often than others.

Asthma is a very serious condition and the number of people that have it is actually going up despite the billions being spent on prescription medications.