If you were diagnosed with asthma years ago, you may wonder whether you will always have the same symptoms or need the same level of treatment.
Can asthma improve or go away in adults? Asthma symptoms can improve substantially and some people experience long periods with few or no symptoms. However, asthma can also return after a symptom-free period, so improvement is not always the same as a permanent cure.
What Is Asthma?
Asthma affects the airways and can cause wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and breathlessness. Symptoms often vary rather than remaining at exactly the same level every day.
Some people have frequent symptoms, while others notice problems mainly during exercise, at night, in certain environments or after exposure to particular triggers.
Can Asthma Symptoms Change Over Time?
Yes. Asthma can become milder or more troublesome at different stages of life. Changes in environment, smoking exposure, body weight where relevant, physical fitness, occupation, respiratory irritants and other health factors can all influence symptoms.
A person may therefore go through a long period in which asthma barely affects daily life and later notice symptoms returning.
Does Being Symptom-Free Mean Asthma Has Gone?
Not necessarily. The absence of obvious wheezing or breathlessness does not always mean the underlying tendency has disappeared completely.
This is particularly important for somebody using preventative medication, because good control may partly reflect the treatment working.
Look for Patterns in Your Breathing
When symptoms occur can provide useful clues. Notice whether breathing problems appear mainly at night, during exercise, around smoke or strong scents, in dusty environments, at certain times of year or after particular exposures.
Also notice whether your exercise tolerance is changing. Sometimes people unconsciously reduce activity and therefore experience fewer obvious symptoms without the underlying problem necessarily having improved.
Can Lifestyle Changes Help?
Lifestyle and environment can influence respiratory health. Avoiding smoking and second-hand smoke, maintaining appropriate physical activity, improving fitness, addressing excess body weight where relevant and reducing exposure to known irritants may help some people.
Sleep, stress and general health can also affect how well somebody copes with breathing symptoms.
The Natural Hygiene Perspective
Natural Hygiene looks at breathing within the condition of the whole person rather than treating the lungs as though they operate independently from the rest of the body.
That means considering clean air, smoking and environmental exposure, appropriate movement, rest, sleep, diet and the overall demands being placed on the body.
Breathing difficulty should not be interpreted as a desirable cleansing response. Reduced airflow can become dangerous quickly and should always be treated seriously.
How Do You Know Whether Asthma Is Actually Improving?
Fewer symptoms are encouraging, but objective measures can provide additional information. Depending on the individual, clinicians may use breathing tests such as spirometry or peak-flow measurements alongside symptom history and medication use.
Useful signs include fewer night-time symptoms, less reliance on reliever medication, improved exercise tolerance and fewer flare-ups, but these should be considered alongside appropriate clinical assessment.
Should You Stop an Inhaler Because You Feel Better?
Do not stop or reduce prescribed asthma medication independently simply because symptoms have improved.
If your asthma has remained well controlled, your clinician may be able to review whether treatment can safely be stepped down. That decision should take account of your symptom history and risk of future attacks.
When Is Asthma an Emergency?
Severe or rapidly worsening breathlessness, difficulty speaking because of breathlessness, blue or grey lips or skin, exhaustion, confusion, or symptoms that are not responding to your prescribed reliever treatment require urgent medical help.
Follow your personal asthma action plan if you have one and seek emergency assistance when symptoms indicate a serious attack.
So Can Adult Asthma Go Away?
Asthma can improve dramatically, and long symptom-free periods are possible. For some people, however, the tendency to develop airway symptoms remains and can reappear later.
The useful goal is therefore not simply to decide whether you still “have asthma”. Look at how your breathing, activity, triggers and objective measurements are changing, improve the conditions you can influence, and review treatment safely as your health changes.