Are sharp pains in the ribs a typical symptom of an asthma attack?
Asthma attacks do not cause pain. However, asthma attacks can cause such heavy breathing and coughing that you can easily pull a muscle in the chest wall. A pulled muscle can be quite painful. Sometimes, older people with thin bones can actually break a rib from coughing too hard. Chest pain with tightness in the throat could be a possible heart problem in a person over the age of 30. This is especially true if the chest discomfort occurs during physical exertion or sudden emotional stress. A tight feeling in the throat surely could be related to an asthma attack. When a person is working hard to breathe, the throat can feel like it is tightening up. Also, with rapid breathing the mouth and throat get dry very quickly; this adds to the discomfort. Another common reason for tightness in the throat is anxiety. Recurrent chest pains and tightness in the throat should always prompt a call to your doctor.
