New York Children’s Health Project TALKS ABOUT ASTHMA

(Article published in HWW July-Aug 2006)

by Dr. Natalie L. Davis, MD, MPH, Clinical Director, Childhood Asthma Initiative, Children’s Health Fund – New York Children’s Health Project

Asthma... Always In Control

Diabetes and high blood pressure have earned the reputation over the years as silent killers. No one is surprised to learn that each year those diseases combined kill thousands of people. However, many of us would be surprised to learn that each year, asthma kills 5,000 Americans, both children and adults. That’s right, asthma. Asthma does not get the same attention as a potential killer as chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease. But it can be just as deadly. Approximately 15 million Americans have asthma; 5 million of those affected are children. Despite the fact that asthma affects so many, there is a great misunderstanding on the appropriate management of this disease. Often patients with asthma are not receiving all the medication they need to take care of their condition and they are not seeing the doctor as much as they should. There are some things that you can do to ensure that your asthma is treated effectively by your doctor.

Understand What Happens When You Have Asthma

People with asthma have very sensitive lungs. The lungs are the organs in our body that allow us to breath. The lungs have muscle in them that become tight and clamp down when a person starts to have asthma symptoms. While the lungs are tight and clamped down they also start to fill up with mucus. So the tight muscles and the mucus make it very hard for the person with asthma to breath.

Stop Thinking of Asthma as a "Sometimes" Disease

One reason for the confusion about asthma management is the fact that asthma continues to be seen as a "sometimes" disease. Patients tend to think of asthma as something that sometimes happens but not a disease that is always there. We talk about an "asthma attack"—further emphasizing asthma as something that comes and goes. Asthma is a chronic disease and if you have asthma it is something that you should always report to your doctor. Don’t just talk about asthma when you have a problem with asthma. Your doctor will need to ask you questions to decide how severe your asthma is and to determine what sort of medication you need. Asthma is classified with four levels of severity, mild intermittent, mild persistent, moderate persistent and severe persistent. Your doctor will ask you about the number of days and the number of nights you have asthma symptoms in order to help tell how severe your asthma is. The doctor will also want to know if your asthma affects you when you try to exercise or play. You should have regular visits with your doctor, every 4 to 6 months, especially if your doctor tells you that you have persistent asthma.

Make sure you are getting the right medication for your asthma

If you have persistent asthma you need more than one type of medicine to help control your asthma. Most people know that patients with asthma use a medication called ‘Albuterol’ or ‘Proventil’ to help them during an asthma attack. But patients with persistent asthma, who have symptoms more often than other patients, need another medication to help them control their asthma. These medications are called controllers. You should talk to your doctor to see if you need a controller medication.

Know What Things May Trigger your Asthma

You may notice that there are some things which may trigger your asthma symptoms. It is important that you be aware of what those things are and try to avoid them if possible. Some people have problems with their asthma when the weather changes. If you have symptoms more at a certain time of the year it may mean they something is in the air at that time that you are allergic to. Your doctor may test you for allergies to pollen, dust, cockroaches and other things that sometimes cause problems for people with asthma.

Asthma can be controlled but you have to take an active role and keep your appointments with your doctor and ask the right questions. And remember asthma is not a sometimes disease—it is always there but you can always be in control.

** Source: All medical information for this article was obtained from www.webmd.com