What do each of these individuals have in common: First, an eighteen-year-old suddenly develops wheezing and shortness of breath when visiting his grandmother who happens to have a cat. Second, a thirty year old woman has colds that "always go into her chest," causing coughing and difficulty breathing. Lastly, a sixty- year-old man develops shortness of breath with only slight exertion even though he has never smoked. The answer is that they all may have asthma.
These are some of the many faces of asthma. Most researchers believe that the different patterns ...