“Can asthma go away?”
My regular doctor diagnosed me with asthma at my last visit. But now my symptoms are gone and I haven't even treated it yet. Is it possible for asthma to go away? Could it maybe have been another condition similar to asthma?
17 Answers
Amitha J. Mundenchira
Family Practitioner
Childhood asthma may resolve. However, adulthood asthma is ongoing - you may be symptom free if you have a healthy lifestyle and if you are on the right control medications. It is best to get a pulmonary function test done to make a proper diagnosis.
There are different types of asthma. Yours could be trigger-induced, such as by cold weather or exercise. In these cases, you would be symptom-free without trigger. Talk with your regular doctor about this, while keeping your inhaler (if prescribed) readily available if symptoms return.
...Sorry for the late response.
...Sorry for the late response.
Dr. Lisa Ann Shepherd
Family Practitioner
Mycoplasma and various viral infections can cause short term asthma-like symptoms. Asthma can also have a mild, intermittent presentation and present only when someone is ill or has contact with certain allergens.
Look at IS ASTHMA HEREDITARY? in the blog answers under my name, that provides an answer to this question as well!!
Asthma is sometimes outgrown as children get older, less likely in adults. The other causes of REVERSIBLE reactive airway disease are covered in the topic noted as per above.
Asthma is sometimes outgrown as children get older, less likely in adults. The other causes of REVERSIBLE reactive airway disease are covered in the topic noted as per above.
In adults, asthma is considered a chronic disease that does not go away, unless the trigger for the asthma is removed. Since your symptoms went away so fast, you probably had an incident of reactive airway disease. Something such as a virus, an allergy causing substance or a chemical caused reversible airway narrowing resulting in wheezing. Once the illness or substance is removed, the wheezing stops.
Asthma actually has a category mild intermittent in which symptoms are
present less than 2 times a week. The diagnosis is based on clinical
picture, spirometry, and/or pulmonary function tests. I would recommend you
discuss your concerns with your doctor at your next visit. Be well.
present less than 2 times a week. The diagnosis is based on clinical
picture, spirometry, and/or pulmonary function tests. I would recommend you
discuss your concerns with your doctor at your next visit. Be well.
It is likely that what you were actually diagnosed with was a form of "asthma" that is "episodic" in nature...I call it "reactive airway disease" which is for all intents and purposes "episodic asthma"; it comes and goes depending on what you are inhaling and what your airways are reacting to; it can cause wheezing; it causes the airways to flare up which makes you wheeze, and this is what we hear on your lung exam. I see this a lot in patients around the change of seasons as their airways are exposed to new allergens; the treatment is similar to asthma, but often times, I am able to get a pt's RAD under control with a nebulizer treatment in the office and then a low dose steroid taper down; Good luck.
Asthma symptoms can come and go with upper respiratory infections, allergies, and other triggers. If you have a very mild case, your symptoms can self resolve. If you were diagnosed simply by being listened to with a stethoscope, technically, all you could have been diagnosed with was wheezing, which is a symptom, presumably from an infection that has now resolved.
A true asthma diagnosis is achieved with something called pulmonary function tests. It is possible that while you feel better, you are still not breathing normally. Sometimes, people have been wheezing for so long that they don't even realize how restricted their breathing is. I'd recommend you schedule a follow-up with your doctor so that they can recheck your lungs and you can discuss your concerns and get your questions answered.
A true asthma diagnosis is achieved with something called pulmonary function tests. It is possible that while you feel better, you are still not breathing normally. Sometimes, people have been wheezing for so long that they don't even realize how restricted their breathing is. I'd recommend you schedule a follow-up with your doctor so that they can recheck your lungs and you can discuss your concerns and get your questions answered.
It's certainly possible for asthma to resolve, but if the time course was short, this may have been something (such as a mild bronchitis) that could mimic asthma.
Sometimes if your asthma might be a temporary reactive airway response due to local allergen or irritants, when you or the environment changes, your symptoms might naturally go away without any treatment. Hope this helps, have a great day.
The Answer is lengthy, but to be short, YES.
Most asthmatics, with the exception of runner asthmatics, are exposed to an environmental allergen which causes inflammation of the linings of the airways.
If the stimulus is removed, e.g.:removing a cat from your home after testing positive for cat dander on an antigen panel, one can seemingly make their asthma "go away". It is also true that younger atopic (allergic) individuals become less allergic with age, hence childhood asthma seemingly wanes with age for some individuals.
Lastly, there is always the misdiagnosis of asthma in lieu of other similar syndromes: ABPA, Occupational toxins , etc....
MR
Most asthmatics, with the exception of runner asthmatics, are exposed to an environmental allergen which causes inflammation of the linings of the airways.
If the stimulus is removed, e.g.:removing a cat from your home after testing positive for cat dander on an antigen panel, one can seemingly make their asthma "go away". It is also true that younger atopic (allergic) individuals become less allergic with age, hence childhood asthma seemingly wanes with age for some individuals.
Lastly, there is always the misdiagnosis of asthma in lieu of other similar syndromes: ABPA, Occupational toxins , etc....
MR
you can control asthma but the condition is not curable it is related to an allergy condition too. you probably had a condition with similar symptoms but not asthma
Hi
There are different conditions that can have the similar symptoms and signs
as asthma and different factors that cause bronchospasm. The best will be
to ask your doctor to refer you to a pulmonologist that can do a lung
function study and that will give you more clarity on your condition
Best Wishes
Dan Botha MD
There are different conditions that can have the similar symptoms and signs
as asthma and different factors that cause bronchospasm. The best will be
to ask your doctor to refer you to a pulmonologist that can do a lung
function study and that will give you more clarity on your condition
Best Wishes
Dan Botha MD
Without knowing the specifics, it's hard to say in your case. For some people, asthma can get better or worse due to other factors- allergies, air pollution, upper respiratory infections to name a few. Many people with reactive airway disease or asthma don't need daily medication, or may only need inhalers when they're sick.
Although officially asthma does not go away we do commonly see it "go away" during teenage years and sometimes can reappear in adulthood again depending on lifestyle choices, i.e. Smoking etc. I'm not sure you may have had the right diagnosis, could have been bronchitis which can appear as asthma but does improve with treatment and "goes away". To properly know if you have asthma the diagnosis requires usually a test call spirometry. Some family doctors have this in their office but some will refer you to a pulmonologist. If you have not had this done I would highly recommend it if you are symptomatic.
Dr. Aballay
Dr. Aballay
A certain percentage of people outgrow their childhood asthma. This usually happens after being on treatment for a few years.
Asthma can also be due to exposure to certain irritants, known as Irritant Induced Asthma (IIA), especially if you are exposed to a high dose of that irritant (typically at work, even though you can get it at home). Here, usually there is no family history of asthma, or associated allergic rhinitis/sinusitis or eczema.
There is also another variant of asthma called Reactive Airway Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), which is similar to IIA in that the airways respond to a high dose of an irritant. Once you are removed from that irritant, symptoms can go away.
Asthma can also be due to exposure to certain irritants, known as Irritant Induced Asthma (IIA), especially if you are exposed to a high dose of that irritant (typically at work, even though you can get it at home). Here, usually there is no family history of asthma, or associated allergic rhinitis/sinusitis or eczema.
There is also another variant of asthma called Reactive Airway Dysfunction Syndrome (RADS), which is similar to IIA in that the airways respond to a high dose of an irritant. Once you are removed from that irritant, symptoms can go away.
Anelisa Dazzi Chequer De Souza
Family Practitioner
Hi there! If you have not been prescribed any medication and your symptoms have settled, ideally, you should go back for a review. If the diagnosis of asthma was made based on one clinical presentation only, it can be confirmed or ruled out through a test called spirometry where your lung functions are tested. I suggest you make a review appointment with your regular doctor but, if prescribed medication, do not cease it until you are seen again. Hope this helps.
