Chest congestion is a condition in which you experienced chest tightness as a result of excessive phlegm within your airways. Wheezing is when your breathing becomes noisy due to airways narrowing. Both chest congestion and wheezing are symptoms that may arise following any possible illnesses. Wheezing varies in intensity and severity. Some are mild that you do not need ventolin for chest wheezing. A more severe form may require you to seek help from the emergency department of a hospital.

The examples of conditions that have both chest congestion and wheezing are asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), allergic reactions, and many more. Chest congestion  can take place for a short duration or in a more serious form may take place for a longer duration.

Both symptoms have a direct effect on your capabilities of inhaling and exhaling air or breathing. You may face difficulties in breathing and you will need extra effort to inhale some air. You will start to become conscious of your breathing and that will worsen your condition. As both symptoms interfere with your breathing, they may lead to respiratory failure.

Respiratory failure is when your breathing fails to take in enough oxygen to meet your body’s demand and also fails to wash out the carbon dioxide. As a result, your body will be at a state of low oxygen but high carbon dioxide. Respiratory failure is a life-threatening and emergency condition that needs immediate medical attention and intervention. Treating the underlying causes and secure the airway will be the main objective.

Chest congestion and wheezing together are usually caused by respiratory disease. The main and most common cause is asthma. Asthma is a chronic condition that usually starts early in life and diagnosis is often made around 7-12years of age. Asthma has no absolute cure which means individuals with asthma are always at risk of developing both symptoms and subsequently developing any complications if not treated.

Prevention is better than cure. That phrase is the key to maintain your health and in dealing with asthma. Asthma patients must avoid all the identified triggers to prevent them from developing any sudden asthma attack. The triggers for an asthma attack are pet dander, pollen, dust, smokes from cigarette or vehicle, some fruits or food, and airway infections.

Asthma patients must always come for a follow-up and medical check-up accordingly. This is important as treating asthma is different from other diseases as doctors might need to increase or reduce the doses of the drug. Doctors also need to decide whether to add or reduce the drugs taken by a patient.

What helps doctors to decide? They will decide based on the asthmatic control which patients should record every day in what known as an asthma diary. Other factors are the patients’ well-being, findings upon physical examination and results from any test conducted.

Asthma can be treated at home with the given medications. Medications like Ventolin help relieve chest tightness and prevent respiratory failure. If you are an asthmatic patient, make sure you always keep your medications at home or within reach. You can’t afford to run out of stock as that may lead to death.