People may find it difficult to distinguish between the symptoms of anxiety and asthma. There has been considerable research on the relationship between anxiety and asthma that describe an increased rate of psychological co-morbidity in those people with asthma including anxiety and panic symptoms. Other research has shown a positive link between anxiety disorders and asthma that take into account of genetic, demographic and environmental factors. These studies show that there are common risk factors with both asthma and the anxiety disorders but then; there are no present evidences on whether which of these come first.
In most cases, asthma is caused by inhaling an allergen that sets off the chain of biochemical and tissue changes leading to airway inflammation, bronchus constriction and wheezing. Asthmatics often experience coughing that is often worse at night or early in the morning making their sleep difficult. This cough can be with or without sputum production. They may also experience shortness of breath that also gets worse with exercise or any strenuous activity. Your doctor should evaluate you if you are having symptoms that suggest a more serious cause, such as a bacterial infection, or if your symptoms are not manageable with over-the-counter remedies or the passing of time. These symptoms can be the same as having an anxiety disorder.
The connections between anxiety and asthma symptoms are complex. It is difficult to determine what really causing the various symptoms suffered by many people. There are a lot of confusion as to what the symptoms of asthma really are and it is easy to confuse some anxiety symptoms with symptoms of asthma. Some experts point out that asthma, panic attack and anxiety disorders can have similar symptoms including shortness of breath, chest tightness and physical anxiety that makes it difficult to determine which disorder a person may have, based on symptoms alone. There is no standard way to diagnose the disease. Consulting a doctor could help people lead to a misdiagnosis.
The high prevalence of panic-fear or anxiety symptoms in asthma populations does not in itself establish a specific link as this could be part of a broader relationship between any chronic disease and lowered psychological wellbeing. A significant minority of people have high levels of panic fear associated with asthma. However, in adults with asthma there is also high prevalence of both generalized anxiety and depression, suggesting that the link of anxiety and asthma may be part of a broader relationship between psychological distress and chronic disease rather than a specific one.
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