Cough variant asthma

I found this video on Youtube and tought it quite interesting as I've not heard of this diagnosis in the UK. It acts differently in that peak flows are often unchanged despite symptoms but suffers tend to get morning dips. I cough lots and bring up frothy sputum which often clears the wheezing, my GP noticed this also and peak flows don't always depict the symptoms. I wonder if the non-wheezering coughers think they might fit this diagnosis?

youtube.com/watch?v=iVqs_xb...(Not working as expected?)

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Wow thank you flower fairy, that would make a lot of sense for me personally and i also know the answer to the point they made about it being worse in the morning this is to do with acid reflux in the night. I will be chatting to my consultant next time i see him to see if he thinks this is what i have because it would certainly fit me very well. Infact i shall ring my resp nurse tomorrow am.

Coughing is my main symptom, my peak flow doesnt show how my breathing is very well and my cough is worse after i have been exposed to a trigger. Thank you again! Shall let you know.

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I found that video when I was first reading up on asthma. It describes my experience better than the standard model, too. I think the doctors are a bit lost when they can't see anything much happening with peak flows, and can't hear a wheeze, but you're still complaining of symptoms.

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Wish all GPs knew about cough variant asthma .

For years, I've coughed fit to burst, but GPs have sent me for ENT checkups which of course found nothing, barium meals which of course found nothing, prescribed cough medicines, anti-histamines, suggested gargling with menthol, gargling with aspirin. All to no avail. I still coughed and coughed. So embarrassing to visit relatives in hospice, when your own cough is worse than any of the patients and kindly nuns offer cups of tea or sweeties which is nice but never did anything to soothe what they thought was a bad cough from a cold.

Just sheer chance, bronchitis this year had me off to see NHS 24 doc at local hospital and it was she who asked how long I'd had asthma. Spirometry test a month later found I was only using 60% lung power - no wonder I always felt a bit puffed out. I'm now on the merry path to find a preventer inhaler that works for me - I'm now up to about 70% lung power as long as I fill in with salbtamol when cough strikes.

Thank you for sharing that link. Explains my type of asthma to a T. As a non-wheezer, I wish the internet had been around years ago. Were it not for the fact that most of my older GPs have either retired or expired, I'd be round to their doors brandishing a laptop and showing them this video.