What homonculus said. Several times in my life I've had what seemed like asthma, but dripping from sinuses seems to have been the main culprit. Mind you, killing bugs in these cavities is not as straightforward as one might imagine. Sinuses and flying can produce pain that's impossible to describe - unless you're Dante.
Came back to the UK this spring, and it wasn't long before I'd caught a bastard of a sore throat. Went to the lungs and got really nasty and I had an antibiotic. Coughed like hell for weeks then got another sore throat from wife who'd been looking after the London g-nippers.
'Coughed green' for six weeks in all. Total social outcast. Wife and several acquaintances all with the same symptoms. Oh, and one the GPs.
Long story short, normally a 740 puffer, I was in my sixth week of horrible sudden coughing spells and restricted breathing. (450) Sent for X-ray. Nowt.
Put on 3rd course of antibiotic, but suddenly felt better. Didn't take it. Back to lumbering my 72 year old 200 lbs around on me bike and fairly running up the 103 steps from the beach. So odd the way it just switched off.
When I was a kid, I had terrible allergic asthma. Just 'forgot' about it. Competitive at judo by 18. By the time I was having five year medicals I once gathered a crowd around the old cast-iron machine in Praed Street. The CAA bods called folk over to see the needle tilt off the edge of the (disc of) paper. Never quite managed to do it, but it speaks volumes (get it) for the accuracy of these peak flow machines. They really are consistent. If there's a change, it's likely the patient.
I was excused all sports at school, and I've always wondered if loooong nights of heaving for breath strengthened my wind-muscles.