[livi]

Yes, with your history, asthma is the most plausible diagnose. I would not rule out other causes primarily from the lungs on just this story, but asthma would be my first guess.

As Tobra say, you need to see a specialist. A simple forced expiratory test should likely be diagnostic, but as you are a grown man (I am used to kids) they may want to do other tests like a plain x-ray to rule out less likely causes.

Asthma means the inside 'wallpaper' of your airways have an inflammation. It is swollen and produces more mucus which often results in couphing not least at night. Furthermore there are, for some crazy reason, circular muscles in the airway walls. These muscles tend to contract when provoced by the inside inflammation and other factors - particularly exercise. Both these elements - the inside inflammation and the muscle contractions make the airways more narrow, resulting in a shortness of breath. Like breathing threw a straw.

As there are to elements involved, you will need two kinds of medication. Antiinflammatory and muscle relaxing. Both generally in inhaled form. The first is traditionally cortison of some form. Daily administrations is typically needed.

Asthma and allergies should not be confused. Allergies simply means the body has made up itīs mind to react to an external substance (often a protein) by producing a specific type of antibody against it. When they come in contact the result is an array of reactions that ultimately can lead to different symptoms like hay fever or asthma. BUT, and this is important, you do not have to have any allergies to have asthma. Most children have asthma provoced by viral infections without any allergies at all. Asthma is for most grown people a more or less cronic inflammatory desease in the airways inherently. For some it will be further provoced by allergies.

Statistically there is of course a higher percentage of people with allergies that also will develop asthma and vice versa.

Hope that ranting helps some. Spell Check did not work, sorry.