Do You Have Other Conditions in Addition to Your Asthma?

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Asthma can impact your life in a significant way. Managing symptoms, treatments, triggers, doctors' appointments, and more can be challenging and exhausting. We know that many people with asthma also contend with other conditions. These are called comorbidities.

We are always interested in learning more about our community. So, we want to find out more about which conditions you contend with in addition to your asthma, and how those conditions (or treatments for them) affect your asthma. We would love for you to take our comorbidity poll below to help us learn!

Comorbidity poll: Do you have a condition in addition to asthma?

If the condition(s) you have along with your asthma is not listed in the poll, please leave a comment with the condition name. Or you can join our forum that discusses asthma comorbidities. This forum is an opportunity to share your experience managing multiple conditions and how they may also affect your asthma.

Thank you for participating and helping us learn more about the possible comorbidities of asthma.

If you would rather share your experience in the form of a story, please click the button below.

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Please read our rules before commenting.

debgrubb Member

Debbie Grubb Vocal cord airwaydisfunction. Gastropareisis Anxiety Bladder leakage Chronic low oxygen, potassium and magnesium due to asthma, sob, + pain, increased heartrate when low.
1. Leon Lebowitz, RRT Moderator & Contributor
 
 <inline-mention username="debgrubb" user-id="3000146"/> Hi debgrubb (Debbie), and thanks for responding here to the community inquiry. Now that you've listed the comorbidities for your own asthma condition, I am sure our site leads <inline-mention username="alexavecchione" user-id="4661981"/> and Victoria Pappas will see the your response and add them if warranted. We appreciate your candor in sharing this here with the community. Thanks so much! Leon (site moderator <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a>)
2. Bonbon Member
 
 <inline-mention username="debgrubb" user-id="3000146"/> these are the same for me. Especially worst are my bladder leakage and vocal cord changes. Bonbon
debgrubb Member

Leon co-commodities of asthma
Maggiecat/1 Member

CVID--Common Variable Immunodeficiency
katalinfrog Member

Rheumatoid disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, migraine, depression, ankylosing spondylitis
1. Melissa.Arnold Community Admin
 
 <inline-mention username="katalinfrog" user-id="3024023"/> Hey, Katalin -- good to see your name pop up here again, but sorry you have such a laundry list to share. Have you ever been to our migraine (<a href='https://migraine.com' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>migraine.com</a>) or ankylosing spondylitis (<a href='https://ankylosingspondylitis.net' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>ankylosingspondylitis.net</a>) sites? I bet they would be a good resource for you if you felt like visiting. How have you been recently? Wishing the best for you. -Melissa, <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a> team
gigigibson Member

Tracheobronchomalacia, VCD, Allergies, bronchiectasis, menieres , adrenal insufficiency, osteoarthritis, esophageal dysmotility, anxiety, prediabetes, recurrent bursitis, pathological fx. Renal calculus . I am on two biologics, steroids, three maintenance inhalers and four neb meds. And other pills and supplements.
asthmanex5 Member

In addition to the listed conditions I have Mitral valve Prolaspe and Paroxismal Atrial Tachycardia
1. John Bottrell, RRT Member
 
 <inline-mention username="asthmanex5" user-id="3009357"/> Thank you for letting us know. We appreciate it. Do you feel that you have these conditions (including your asthma under good control? John. asthma..net community moderator.
asthmanex5 Member

Shortness of breath can be tricky at times…cannot determine if it’s my valve or the asthma as a causative factor…especially when walking stairs. I usually just sit down and concentrate on my breathing…SOB usually subsides. If I know that I am going to be exercising etc my allergist immunologist has ordered me to use my rescue inhaler before I start. It helps a lot.
1. Leon Lebowitz, RRT Moderator & Contributor
 
 <inline-mention username="asthmanex5" user-id="3009357"/> Hi asthmanex, and thanks for joining in the conversation here. We appreciate you sharing how you manage shortness of breath (SOB) when it occurs. I also have a concern - how DO you differentiate the cause of your SOB - have your doctors advised you how to discern whether it is of cardiac or pulmonary origin? Is there anything more they can suggest that you do when it is unclear as to the cause? What do you think? Leon (site moderator <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a>)
JamieG Member

Asthma-COPD Overlap Syndrome (ACOS), Sleep Related Hypoventilation, Chronic Sinusitis. Though I use a CPAP and an oxygen concentrator at night, my oxygen levels still fall below 88 when I sleep and I wake with a headache every morning or a migraine if I sleep more than 5 hours. It's exhausting. I do have other ailments that do limit me, but these are the ones that most effect my quality of life 
1. Leon Lebowitz, RRT Moderator & Contributor
 
 <inline-mention username="JamieG" user-id="4302630"/> Hi Jamie, and thanks for sharing the comorbidities you have with the community. We appreciate your candor here. Have you spoken with your physician about the oxygen saturation level (88%), and that you have a headache / migraine each morning? This may speak to inadequate or ineffective treatment. Perhaps the doctor will want to adjust the CPAP settings or the amount of supplemental oxygen that is prescribed. What do you think? Leon (site moderator <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a>)
CommunityMemberb2f9f9 Member

Good morning, Leon. Yes, I have spoken with my doctor(s) and they are aware of the low numbers. I live in the mountains and even though there is a local hospital, the turnover rate for good doctors is on par with a fast food joint run by teenagers. I had two exacerbations four months apart last year (both of which hospitalized me) and it still took me 6 months to get an appointment with my pulmonologist. She did go over my PFT results which showed I had lost 12% volume which dropped my COPD from "moderate/severe" to "severe". This was in July, 2022. My next appointment with her is in March, 2023. A saving grace in all of this is the Phillips recall on the CPAP machines. My new machine allows me to adjust the settings myself. 
1. CommunityMemberb2f9f9 Member
 
 <inline-mention username="Leon Lebowitz, RRT" user-id="3025394"/> Good morning, Leon. I'm not quite sure why I appear as two different members, but both are me. You are correct, I do have COPD. I also have asthma. I have been diagnosed with ACOS which is Asthma COPD Overlap Syndrome. I am registered on the COPD and the Migraine sister sites since, for me, they are all related. I have an oxygen meter which, to some extent, helps me differentiate which issue is causing my SOB and whether I need to hook up to supplemental oxygen, use my nebulizer or if my inhaler(s) will be sufficient. 
2. Leon Lebowitz, RRT Moderator & Contributor
 
 <inline-mention username="CommunityMemberb2f9f9" user-id="6684074"/> Hi CMb2f9f9, and thank you so much for your reply and further explanation. I know this has happened before to other members here (having two screen names). If you'd like to straighten this out, you can reach out for our site leads at contact@asthma.net. They will be happy to help you sort through this. I had thought that you might have both asthma and COPD and appreciate you clarifying this for me. If there is anything we can do to assist you, please let me or any other moderator / team member know. You are always welcome in any of our online community websites. Enjoy the weekend! Leon (site moderator <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a>)
weinie2 Member

I have what is called Parkinsonism. My movements are slow, my arms don't swing, I have tremors and other restless movements. When my asthma is rough, all of these things make it look like I'm drunk. Combine that with my absence seizures, people think I am totally a disaster. By now, my friends have come to realize that I can't control these things and am not a clown. I have lost friends who think I should be able to act more "normal" but have learned they real weren't friends.
1. Leon Lebowitz, RRT Moderator & Contributor
 
 <inline-mention username="weinie2" user-id="3061706"/> Hi weinie, and thanks for sharing this with the community. Sometimes, it takes real life concerns to separate our true friends for us. I do hope that you continue to have as much of a support system as you need. Keep up the good work! Leon (site moderator <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a>)
robinap Member

In addition to asthma I have one bad gene for Alpha 1 Antitrypsin deficiency, 4 very mild leaky heart valves, and very mild pulmonary hypertension secondary to lung disease. 
1. Leon Lebowitz, RRT Moderator & Contributor
 
 <inline-mention username="robinap" user-id="3042997"/> Hi robin, and thanks for sharing the other diseases you are managing in addition to asthma. We appreciate your feedback. How do you manage these several conditions simultaneously? Is there anything further you are able to share with the community? We would appreciate your input. All the best, Leon (site moderator <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a>)
2. Melissa.Arnold Community Admin
 
 <inline-mention username="robinap" user-id="3042997"/> If you're interested, we have some articles and people with alpha 1 on our sister site, <a href='https://www.copd.net' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer ugc'>www.copd.net</a>. Sending a hug today and wishing you the very best! -Melissa, <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a> team
Dee77 Member

I have vocal cord dysfunction.
Leon Lebowitz, RRT Moderator & Contributor

Hi Dee, and thanks for joining in the conversation here. We appreciate you sharing another condition (vocal cord dysfunction VCD)), you have with the community. In view of this additional diagnosis, I thought you (and our readers), might find it helpful to know more about VCD. Towards that end, here is some material, published right here on <a href='https://asthma.net' target='_blank'>asthma.net</a>, to share: <a href='https://asthma.net/living/vocal-cord-dysfunction' target='_blank'>https://asthma.net/living/vocal-cord-dysfunction</a>. I do hope the information is thought to be helpful. All the best, Leon L (author/moderator asthma.net)