What should you know about uncontrolled asthma?

Asthma is less well controlled when cough, wheezing, chest tightness, or breathlessness keeps returning, wakes you, limits activity, or leads you to rely on a reliever inhaler more often than planned. Symptoms can vary with exercise, smoke, dust, infections, weather, or allergens. Allergic rhinitis and house dust mite allergy may add to airway irritation, while a chronic cough can have other causes that need assessment.

Control is judged by symptoms, night-time disruption, inhaler technique, triggers, lung function when appropriate, and any recent flare-ups. Feeling better after a reliever does not necessarily mean the underlying airway inflammation is controlled.

Use inhalers exactly as prescribed and check your technique with a clinician or pharmacist. Follow your written asthma action plan, keep prescribed reliever medicine available, and avoid known triggers such as smoke. Reduce dust exposure where practical and manage nasal allergy symptoms with professional advice. Arrange a review if symptoms are increasing, your reliever is needed more often, or activities and sleep are affected. Do not change controller treatment on your own.

Follow your action plan for worsening symptoms and seek urgent help if breathing is very difficult, speaking is hard, lips look blue, you become exhausted or confused, or prescribed reliever treatment is not giving the expected improvement. An urgent service may consider nebuliser treatment and other care. A severe flare-up can worsen quickly, so do not wait for a routine appointment when warning signs appear.

Ask whether your inhaler technique and treatment doses are suitable, which triggers or related conditions may be contributing, and what to do at each stage of a flare-up. Request a current written action plan if yours is unclear or outdated.