這些跡象表明你可能患有哮喘

Asthma symptoms can be as innocent as a little trouble catching your breath to severe wheezing. You could have one sign of asthma one day and something else-or nothing-the next, and your friend with asthma might have an entirely different set of symptoms.

哮喘症狀可能小至呼吸有問題或喘息劇烈。有朝一日，你可能有哮喘的跡象--或者什麼都沒有--接下來，你患哮喘的朋友可能出現完全不同的症狀。

To make things even More confusing, many of the common symptoms of asthma mimic those of other conditions. Here's a guide to recognizing asthma symptoms. Although only your doctor can tell you for sure (through your medical history and a physical exam), being familiar with the signs will help lead you to the right treatment.

哮喘的很多常見症狀與其它症狀相似，讓人覺得很困惑。本文將指導您如何識別哮喘症狀。儘管只有你的醫生能明確告訴你你是否患有哮喘（通過你的病歷和體檢），熟悉這些跡象或有助於你找到合適的治療方法。

"Most asthmatics should be able to be treated so they can lead a normal life and exercise and do things they want," says Albert A. Rizzo, MD, senior medical advisor for the American Lung Association.

"大多數的哮喘患者應該得到治療，這樣他們就能過上正常生活、鍛鍊、做他們想做的事情，"美國肺臟協會高級醫學顧問Albert A. Rizzo醫學博士說道。

Coughing

咳嗽

Coughing is a sign that your airways are inflamed, a hallmark of asthma. Inflamed airways are also sensitive airways; the increased sensitivity makes you more likely to cough in response to allergens such as pollen or irritants like perfume in an effort to ease the irritation. (When allergens trigger your asthma symptoms, you're said to have allergic asthma.)

咳嗽是呼吸道發炎的一個跡象，是哮喘的標誌。發炎的呼吸道十分敏感；敏感度升高會讓你更咳嗽，以此應對花粉等過敏原或香水等刺激物來緩解疼痛。（當過敏原刺激哮喘症狀時，你可能會患上過敏性哮喘。）

Coughing can also be a result of smoking or a sign of a viral infection, but it's more likely to be asthma if it lingers for more than two weeks, keeps coming back, or is triggered by allergens like pollen. Asthma-related coughing tends to be worse at night and in the early morning.

咳嗽可能是吸菸所致，也有可能是病毒感染的跡象，但如果咳了2周以上、不斷的咳嗽或是由花粉等過敏原引起的話，那就更有可能是哮喘。與哮喘相關的咳嗽往往會在夜裏和清晨變得更加嚴重。

Coughing is the only symptom of a type of asthma called cough-variant asthma (CVA). People with CVA usually need an inhaler to control their chronic cough, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

咳嗽是咳嗽變異性哮喘（哮喘的一種）的唯一症狀。美國過敏、哮喘和免疫學學院表示，咳嗽變異性哮喘患者通常需要噴霧劑控制他們的慢性咳嗽。

Shortness of breath

呼吸短促

Running out of air, along with other signs like a cough, as well as a family history of asthma or allergies, can also signal asthma. Some people say they have no problem breathing in but that breathing out can be difficult.

喘不上氣，以及咳嗽等其它症狀和哮喘或過敏家族史，也是哮喘的跡象。有些人說他們吸氣沒問題，但卻無法呼氣。

Of course, shortness of breath can also have many other causes: obesity, heart problems, emphysema, COPD, and more. Chances are it's not asthma if the symptoms started after the age of 50.

當然，呼吸短促也可能是由其它原因導致的：肥胖、心臟問題、肺氣腫和慢性阻塞性肺病等。但如果你50歲之後纔有了這些症狀，那麼患哮喘的可能性就不是很大。