An asthma attack may begin acutely with bouts of wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath or with slowly increasing symptoms and signs of distress in the respiratory system. In this case, the person usually first notices the onset of breathing that is difficult and becomes more rapid, coughing and tightness or pressure in the chest, and may even notice audible wheezes. Asthma may often go unnoticed though there is little difficulty in identifying a child with a history of other allergic disorders, who suffers from recurrent wheezing. Yet many children with persistent coughs, particularly at night, and wheezing episodes are regarded as suffering from bronchitis triggered by infection of the airways.
