I wonder if anyone can offer an opinion on this.

I am an asthmatic, and when I was diagnosed as a child, the specialist
(who did allergy tests on me) also did some tests on my mother, who
showed no signs of asthma, but the tests came up positive.  He
suggested that my mother might get asthma late in life.

Over the last four years (since she was 70) she has been experiencing
shortness of breath and tightness of her chest when climbing hills
etc, and walking short distances after lunch.  She has undergone
various tests at the local heart hospital, and told that she suffered
from angina and was given a GTN (?) spray that you spray under your
tongue if you get the pains.  Last year she was sent to the heart
hospital for an angiogram, with the doctor quite concerned that she
might have to have a heart by-pass operation done.  However, the
angiogram and other tests showed up nothing unusual, and no narrowing
of the arteries.

This year she went back to the heart hospital for a further check-up,
and the tests were so good that the doctor said he didn't need to see
her for another two years.  However, then she explained to him what
has happened in the last year.  Unfortunately in the last year, my
mother developed the painful condition Polymyalgia Rheumatica  (PMR),
and then subsequently the rather more dangerous condition Temporal
Arteritis (which can cause loss of sight).  She was immediately placed
on a high dose of internal steroids (Prednisone) at 60 mg per day.
This has controlled the PMR and Temporal Arteritis, but also since
taking the steroids, the breathlessness and pains in the chest have
completely disappeared.  She can now walk up hills without difficulty,
run up and down stairs, and so forth.  When she told the heart
specialist this, he looked absolutely shocked & my mother believes
that she has been mis-diagnosed (the specialist was always puzzled
that the tests showed her heart to be in good shape).

I am wondering if it might be the case that she has been suffering
from a form of asthma all the time.  However, she has never exhibited
the common symptoms of asthma, such as wheezing (my asthma takes the
form of wheezing), or coughing.

The questions I have are:

Can you have asthma just as tightness of the chest and pains without
wheezing or coughing?

Is it likely that such a form of asthma could have been
treated/controlled by a large dose of oral steroids (Prednisone)?

She is concerned that when the steroid dose comes down again (it is
gradually reduced for the Temporal Arteritis), that the breathlessness
will come back.  When she was on a smaller dose (15mg) for the PMR, it
had no effect on the breathing, only the very large doses (she is
currently on about 40mg, reduced from 60).  What might be an
appropriate replacement?  I used Becotide inhaler, which is a very low
dose, but I guess it is delivered to the right spot.

Any comments people might have would be most welcome.

Iain.