Participants reported a wide range of asthma symptoms (Table 2). Coughing was the most
common asthma symptom experienced by almost all participants, followed by wheezing and
shortness of breath. Chest tightness, chest pain and congestion were also common. In
addition, a small number of participants reported several unusual symptoms in association
with their asthma such as feeling “hot,” throat pain, headache and “itchy” lungs. Overall,
symptoms, specifically coughing and wheezing, reported in the diaries were verified by
listening to the corresponding breath sounds recordings. Inconsistencies between self-report
and sound recordings were found only in three participants out of 29. Two participants
reported symptoms, which were not verified on digital recordings. Conversely, one
participant reported no asthma symptoms on the diary, yet the digital recording indicated
occasional coughing.