covid vs asthma

[emptyskies13]

hi there, this question is for anyone who has asthma and has had covid or knows someone who has. how do you tell the difference?

I've been experiencing a pretty bad flare-up for the last few days but I genuinely don't know if it's just my asthma or something else. I'm a waitress so I constantly have contact with people and even though I wear a mask and sanitize constantly my customers don't. I only mention that becasue it's very possible that I could have come into contact with something at work.

anyway if you have experience with covid and asthma and are open to sharing I would greatly appreciate it, just for my own piece of mind. I dont even really care about myself but I would really hate to have something and not know it then spread it to others.

[twinkly29]

I haven't knowingly had covid but I think the thing is how do your symptoms compare to your usual asthma flare symptoms?

Also do you have a new continuous dry cough, a fever above 37.8C, or a loss of taste/smell? Of course those aren't the only symptoms of covid but the kind of official ones at the moment.

If you're not sure if it's asthma or not then I would suggest arranging a test (and presumably self isolating until it's done and the result is back). It's difficult because everyone's asthma presentation will be different, everyone's covid symptoms seem to vary hugely and of course how one person's asthma is affected by it will be different too. So if in doubt, I'd get a test.

[Carolofcambridge]

I think the only way you will know is to get a test. Even then, there are sometimes false negative results. But if it’s positive, at least you will know for sure! Otherwise it’s just well informed guesswork.

[Knitting-Nora]

I tested positive for Covid in May. I did not have any of the typical Covid symptoms. I had a slight fever but only at night and only ever got up to 37.6. I felt exhausted and ached, including a slight headache and sore throat but only for the first day or two. My main symptom was aching, starting as a bad back pain then spreading throughout my body. I did not have an increased cough and breathlessness until 2 weeks after I had tested positive, which was an exacerbation of my asthma. I never lost my sense of smell or taste. The only reason i was tested was because i was shielding, but my husband is a key worker. He tested positive too, but with no symptoms at all. If you are unsure, get a test.

[Glty]

I had covid back in March and it caused a major flare of my asthma so I was dealing with both at once. It was really hard to tell the difference between what was covid and what was asthma.

In terms of working it out, the advice above is spot on, get a test, but also, if you can keep an eye on your peak flow and your response to ventolin or your reliever - if your peak flow is dropping you need to follow your asthma plan or get in touch with your GPs surgery if you don't have a plan.

I found that ventolin was helpful with some of the asthma symptoms but didn't relieve the shortness of breath; it did improve my peak flow. For me peak flow is a good indicator in the early stages of a flare so I was able to get a plan together with my asthma nurse and my GP as my peak flow dropped into the red zone in the second week of infection.

I hope you start to feel better soon.

Gemma

[hilary39]

Sorry you're feeling so unwell! I had covid in April and it caused chest tightness and shortness of breath for me--it felt like an asthma exacerbation. It passed within a week but I think it weakened my lungs as my asthma has been worse since then.

For me, the worst symptom was how much the virus attacked my heart. I had terrible tachycardia (my heart pounding hard and fast) and felt very weak from that for about two weeks. The illness can be really hard on the cardiovascular system generally, not just the lungs.

Did you have any other symptoms? Can you get an antibody test?

[Hidden]

There is the added thought now that skin rashes could be another sign

[mrsm49]

Symptoms vary widely person to person. You to need to get tested to make sure you are ok. If you were unlucky enough to be positive then you could pass it to someone at work and then there's the chance that they could have a more serious reaction. You just can't take any chances with this awful virus. I was in a similar situation a few weeks back so me and hubby got tested, luckily we were negative x

[emptyskies13]

thank you everyone for your comments. I spoke with my doctor over the phone (no in person appointments allowed right now) and she prescribed me a 5 day course of prednisone as well as increased the dose of steroids in my daily use inhaler. this is how my asthma flare-ups are normally treated so hopefully it does the trick.

she did bring up the possibility of covid but wasn't overly concerned about it so I'm not really sure what to think. anyway I hope you all are doing well and thank you again for your replies.