I suffer with both and I'm sure that they both make each other worse. I have had a cough on and off (more on than off) for over a year now, visited doctor countless times, had x-ray etc. Keep getting chest infections quite a lot. Does anybody know if anxiety can cause you to get frequent infections due to you being anxious and therefore your chest and breathing become affected. Its a vicious cycle is one making the other worse and being anxious as you fellow sufferers may know we always think theres something else wrong with us other than anxiety!

Originally posted by Jillybabes
Its a vicious cycle is one making the other worse and being anxious as you fellow sufferers may know we always think theres something else wrong with us other than anxiety!

I have suffered both at the same time, and you are quite correct. Stress and anxiety can cause physical reaction, including a lower than normal immune system. Coupled with the already present symptoms of asthma, it can get quite scary.

Some time after I got the anxiety under control I had a serious road accident and, although I came out of it relatively unscathed (i.e. nothing permanent), I started getting panic attacks again which triggered my asthma. I began to imagine that there was all sorts wrong with me!

Go and see your doctor and asthma nurse and they should be able to give you something. I was on a short (1 week) course of steroid tablets and they really seemed to do the trick.

Thanks for the reply. I have seen my asthma nurse and have also been seen by the chest clinic at the hospital. They changed my dosage of inhalers a month ago now which seemed to start working at first but then I started coughing again, I think its because my anxiety levels are high again thus creating more tension and causing my asthma to worsen. I will get sorted one of these days. Glad you were ok after your accident!