Survey Finds Most Adults Miss Common Asthma Warning Signs

Results of a new survey by National Jewish Health found most adults either overlooked or weren’t aware of common asthma warning signs. Many patients were surprised to learn that they could develop asthma as an adult and many go without proper treatment, sometimes for years.

What alarms experts at National Jewish Health – the nation’s leading respiratory hospital – is that barely half of adults knew that trouble sleeping is a major warning sign of adults onset asthma, and only slightly more realized that chest pain is a common symptom.

Here’s a closer look at the data:

• All adults who knew shortness of breath is a symptom: 89%
• All adults who knew wheezing is a symptom: 85%
• The more subtle the symptom, the worse the recognition:
  • Persistent cough: 65%
  • Chest pain: 54%
  • Trouble sleeping: 51% – with only 44% of millennials (those 18-35) realizing it is a symptom.