What should you know about mild intermittent asthma?

Asthma symptoms can include wheezing, cough and chest tightness when the airways become inflamed and narrow. They may follow exercise, cold air, smoke, an infection or an allergy such as allergic rhinitis or house dust mite allergy. Symptoms being absent between episodes does not remove the need for a written plan. A clinician may assess breathing, symptom timing, inhaler technique and exposure to triggers.

Keep the prescribed inhaler available and learn the exact technique, including when to use a spacer if advised. Follow your personal action plan rather than borrowing someone else's inhaler. Notice patterns in cough, wheeze or tightness and reduce smoke, dust and other known triggers. Check inhaler supplies and attend reviews, especially after an episode. Ask whether you need a preventer treatment; the answer depends on your symptoms and risk, not on the word mild alone. A nebuliser treatment may be used in urgent care when inhaled medicine needs supervised delivery.

Seek urgent help if breathing is rapidly worsening, speaking is difficult, lips look blue or grey, you feel exhausted or confused, or your reliever is not helping as your action plan predicts. Arrange review after a flare, repeated night symptoms, or increasing reliance on your reliever. Call a clinician for a cough that persists, since chronic cough can have several causes.

Ask what triggers are most likely, how to check inhaler technique, what your action-plan steps mean, and whether you need a preventer. Ask when breathing tests or a follow-up review should be arranged.