Asthma Flare-Ups: Common Triggers, Symptoms, and Treatment

When you have an asthma flare-up, you may wonder if your symptoms are just a blip in your regular asthma management plan or the beginning of something worse.

Fortunately, many of these flare-ups can be managed, and even predicted, by learning common triggers such as getting sick during winter, allergens, strong emotions, exercise, and even local seasonal patterns in Texas. Learn more about mild, moderate, and severe asthma flare-up symptoms to determine when it’s time to seek medical care.

What Is an Asthma Flare-Up?

You may have heard a flare-up referred to as an asthma “attack” or exacerbation. All of these terms describe a sudden worsening of symptoms. You may need a rescue inhaler, urgent care, or even emergency room treatment if your at-home plan isn’t helping. Despite the name “attack,” which implies that everything happens all at once, symptoms may feel mild at first and get progressively worse.

If you have asthma, your airways are always a bit inflamed. When you encounter an asthma trigger, your airways will constrict, produce more sticky mucus, and become more swollen. It will become difficult to breathe normally. You may wheeze, cough, or feel as though you’re breathing through a straw.

Common Causes of Asthma Flare-Ups

There are many common causes of asthma flare-ups, but not every trigger will affect every person with asthma. It’s important to learn your own personal triggers to most effectively manage your condition. If you’re experiencing a flare-up, consider whether you may be affected by any of the following triggers.

• Respiratory infections: Viruses like COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and even the common cold can cause a temporary worsening of symptoms. If your child has RSV and asthma, it’s especially important to follow up with their pediatrician to determine the right course of treatment.
• Allergens: For some Texans, allergy and asthma are closely linked. Fall allergens like ragweed and mold, along with numerous other pollens in spring and summer, frequently crop up when the weather changes and make asthma worse.
• Irritants: Tobacco smoke, strong perfumes, and chemical fumes can also cause an asthma exacerbation. Do your best to reduce indoor allergy triggers and limit exposure to outdoor ones, and consider seeking urgent care for mold exposure symptoms if it’s a known trigger.
• Environmental and physical factors: Cold air and sudden changes in temperature — like walking from a heated building into the cold outdoors — can trigger an asthma flare-up for some people. High humidity is another important trigger for Texans to be aware of.
• Strong emotions: Strong emotions and periods of intense stress can make asthma symptoms worse.
• Exercise: Some people with asthma do not have environmental triggers, but their symptoms flare when they exercise. If this sounds like you, it’s important to speak to your provider about carefully planning your exercise routine around asthma treatment.
• The menstrual cycle: Some women and girls with asthma notice that their asthma flare-ups coincide with the hormonal shifts of their menstrual cycle. In perimenstrual asthma, you may experience a flare-up right before or during your period.

Signs and Symptoms of an Asthma Attack

It’s important to consider the symptoms you personally experience so that you and your provider can develop a tailored treatment plan. Think about these three levels of symptoms. What do you experience at each one?

Mild Symptoms

Milder asthma symptoms may last for a few minutes to a few hours. You may notice shortness of breath, mild wheezing, or coughing, especially at night or in the early hours of the morning. If these symptoms occur during an illness (such as a cold or the flu), you may mistakenly attribute them to the sickness itself.

Moderate Symptoms

Moderate asthma symptoms are difficult to ignore. At this point, you’ll likely reach for your rescue inhaler. You’ll notice more pronounced coughing and wheezing, and it will be difficult for you to speak in full sentences. You may notice yourself breathing faster and experiencing tightness in your chest.

Severe Symptoms

You may have intense difficulty breathing, chest pain, wheezing, or gasping for air as you use your neck and rib muscles to try to breathe more deeply. Blue fingernail beds and lips are also common. Reduced lung function that you can measure — such as below 80% on your peak flow meter — is common here.

Seek immediate medical care for this level of asthma. These symptoms can’t be fixed with an at-home treatment plan such as a rescue inhaler.

Treatment and Relief for Asthma Flare-Ups

For anyone with asthma, it’s important to have an action plan in place. Consider the following points when making your own:

• Develop a personalized plan: Rate your own symptoms as being in the green, yellow, or red zone. Green means that you’re feeling good, while yellow symptoms include milder symptoms and warning signs of an impending attack (such as worsening shortness of breath or wheezing). Red would indicate that you need urgent care immediately.
• Have care lined up: Download the Next Level Urgent Care app as a ready-to-go tool for when you need to see a provider for milder flare-ups. This can help you get in line quickly as you make your way to the closest urgent care to you. If you can’t breathe or if your symptoms are severe, please call 911 or head to the ER instead.
• Use your medications appropriately: Speak to your provider about when to use your rescue inhaler. This contains a bronchodilator (short-acting beta agonist) that provides immediate, airway-opening relief. If using your medicine in the moment doesn’t provide enough relief, once-a-day maintenance inhalers that contain a bronchodilator and a steroid may help prevent attacks.

Preventative Tips for Asthma Attacks

If you have asthma, you understand that unfortunately, not all flare-ups are preventable. However, you can take steps to keep your asthma as manageable as possible:

1. Follow your asthma action plan.
2. Use your medications consistently, and keep your inhaler in a specific, accessible spot so you don’t lose it.
3. Recognize “yellow zone” symptoms such as wheezing, dizziness, and chest tightness and treat them before they progress.
4. Manage your stress levels and remember that strong emotions can worsen your symptoms. If you have anxiety, it’s important to note that milder asthma and anxiety (such as shortness of breath, dizziness, and chest pressure) can often cause similar symptoms.
5. If you have exercise-induced asthma, create a treatment plan with your provider rather than avoiding exercise long-term.

Managing Asthma Flare-Ups in Texas Conditions

Asthma flare-up symptoms such as wheezing, fatigue, and trouble breathing range from frustrating to frightening. It’s important to treat milder exacerbations before they progress — and they often do. Find the closest Next Level Urgent Care location for swift, compassionate care with experienced providers every day of the week.