But, What is Asthma? (But, What Is..)

Asthma Overview

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You can learn to tell when one is coming if you keep track of the symptoms you have, how bad they are, and when you have them. Your doctor also may want you to use a " peak flow meter ," which is a small plastic tool that you blow into that measures how fast the air is coming from your large airways. If you respond early to the first signs that your asthma is getting worse, you can prevent serious asthma attacks.

It is really important to pay attention to your symptoms because your peak flow can be normal even when your asthma is getting worse. Triggers are things that make your asthma worse. Triggers can cause the airways to become swollen, tightened, and plugged up due to extra mucus.

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What causes asthma to flare up in one person, may not have the same effect on another person with asthma. Talk to your doctor about what your asthma triggers are and what to do to avoid them. Some common triggers are:. You may need to go more often, especially if your asthma is not under control. Regular visits will let your doctor check your progress and, if needed, change your treatment plan. Ask about getting a flu shot and a vaccine to prevent pneumonia.

Your doctor can also check other medical problems you may have. To download from the "Please wait" page, move your cursor to the top right, click on the download icon, and choose where to save it on your computer.

Controlling Your Asthma

Once saved, you will be able to open with Adobe Acrobat reader and use all of the features of the action plan. Asthma in Older Adults Asthma is sometimes thought of as a "childhood disease," but it is often diagnosed as a new condition in older people. Asthma and Aging If you have asthma, you are not alone. Asthma Signs and Symptoms Common asthma symptoms include: Coughing especially at night Wheezing a whistling noise when you breath Chest tightness the feeling that someone is squeezing or sitting on your chest Shortness of breath Breathing faster than normal Getting out of breath easily Feeling tired or weak Diagnosing Asthma If you have any of the above symptoms, visit the doctor to have a complete check-up.

Can Asthma Be Cured? The goals of asthma treatment are to: Prevent asthma symptoms and asthma attacks during the day and night Maintain normal activity levels, including exercise and other physical activities. Have normal or near-normal lung function. Be satisfied with the asthma care received.

Have no or the least side effects while getting the best medications. Controlling Your Asthma You can help keep your asthma under control if you do a few simple things. Talk openly with your doctor or asthma educator Tell your doctor or asthma educator about any concerns you have about your asthma, your medicines, and your health. Ask your doctor for a written Asthma Action Plan. Then be sure to follow it. Asthma is also more common in people who have allergies or who are exposed to tobacco smoke. However, anyone can develop asthma at any time.

Some people may have asthma all of their lives, while others may develop it as adults. The airways in a person with asthma are very sensitive and react to many things, or "triggers. One of the most important parts of asthma control is to identify your triggers and then avoid them when possible. The only trigger you do not want to avoid is exercise. Pre-treatment with medicines before exercise can allow you to stay active yet avoid asthma symptoms.

Asthma symptoms are not the same for everyone. They can even change from episode to episode in the same person. Also, you may have only one symptom of asthma, such as cough, but another person may have all the symptoms of asthma. Asthma treatment for certain groups of people—such as children, pregnant women, or those for whom exercise brings on asthma symptoms—will be adjusted to meet their special needs. You can work with your doctor to create a personal asthma action plan. The plan will describe your daily treatments, such as which medicines to take and when to take them.

The plan also will explain when to call your doctor or go to the emergency room. If your child has asthma, all of the people who care for him or her should know about the child's asthma action plan. This includes babysitters and workers at daycare centers, schools, and camps. These caretakers can help your child follow his or her action plan. Many common things called asthma triggers can set off or worsen your asthma symptoms. Once you know what these things are, you can take steps to control many of them.

For example, exposure to pollens or air pollution might make your asthma worse. If so, try to limit time outdoors when the levels of these substances in the outdoor air are high. If animal fur triggers your asthma symptoms, keep pets with fur out of your home or bedroom. Physical activity is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Talk with your doctor about medicines that can help you stay active. If your asthma symptoms are clearly related to allergens, and you can't avoid exposure to those allergens, your doctor may advise you to get allergy shots.

You may need to see a specialist if you're thinking about getting allergy shots. These shots can lessen or prevent your asthma symptoms, but they can't cure your asthma. Several health conditions can make asthma harder to manage. These conditions include runny nose, sinus infections, reflux disease, psychological stress, and sleep apnea. Your doctor will treat these conditions as well. Your doctor will consider many things when deciding which asthma medicines are best for you. He or she will check to see how well a medicine works for you. Then, he or she will adjust the dose or medicine as needed.

Asthma medicines can be taken in pill form, but most are taken using a device called an inhaler. An inhaler allows the medicine to go directly to your lungs. Not all inhalers are used the same way. Ask your doctor or another health care provider to show you the right way to use your inhaler. Review the way you use your inhaler at every medical visit. Most people who have asthma need to take long-term control medicines daily to help prevent symptoms. The most effective long-term medicines reduce airway inflammation, which helps prevent symptoms from starting.

These medicines don't give you quick relief from symptoms. Inhaled corticosteroids are the preferred medicine for long-term control of asthma. They're the most effective option for long-term relief of the inflammation and swelling that makes your airways sensitive to certain inhaled substances. Reducing inflammation helps prevent the chain reaction that causes asthma symptoms. Most people who take these medicines daily find they greatly reduce the severity of symptoms and how often they occur.

Your doctor may prescribe low-dose inhaled corticosteroids that you will need to take each day. If your symptoms get worse, your doctor may prescribe higher doses to prevent severe flare-ups. More frequent or prolonged high-dose inhaled corticosteroids in children in this age group may also affect growth. Inhaled corticosteroids generally are safe when taken as prescribed. These medicines are different from the illegal anabolic steroids taken by some athletes. Inhaled corticosteroids aren't habit-forming, even if you take them every day for many years.

Like many other medicines, though, inhaled corticosteroids can have side effects. Most doctors agree that the benefits of taking inhaled corticosteroids and preventing asthma attacks far outweigh the risk of side effects. One common side effect from inhaled corticosteroids is a mouth infection called thrush. You might be able to use a spacer or holding chamber on your inhaler to avoid thrush.

These devices attach to your inhaler. They help prevent the medicine from landing in your mouth or on the back of your throat. Check with your doctor to see whether a spacer or holding chamber should be used with the inhaler you have. Also, work with your health care team if you have any questions about how to use a spacer or holding chamber. Rinsing your mouth out with water after taking inhaled corticosteroids also can lower your risk for thrush. If you have severe asthma, you may have to take corticosteroid pills or liquid for short periods to get your asthma under control. If taken for long periods, these medicines raise your risk for cataracts and osteoporosis.

A cataract is the clouding of the lens in your eye. Osteoporosis is a disorder that makes your bones weak and more likely to break. Your doctor may suggest you take calcium and vitamin D pills to protect your bones. High doses of these medicines over time may have other side effects that your doctor will monitor.

Inhaled corticosteroids may affect the growth rate in children, with effects that persist through adulthood. If your doctor prescribes a long-term control medicine, take it every day to control your asthma. Your asthma symptoms will likely return or get worse if you stop taking your medicine. Long-term control medicines can have side effects.

Talk with your doctor about these side effects and ways to reduce or avoid them. With some medicines, like theophylline, your doctor will check the level of medicine in your blood. All people who have asthma need quick-relief medicines to help relieve asthma symptoms that may flare up. Inhaled short-acting beta2-agonists are the first choice for quick relief.

These medicines act quickly to relax tight muscles around your airways when you're having a flareup. This allows the airways to open up so air can flow through them. You should take your quick-relief medicine when you first notice asthma symptoms. If you use this medicine more than 2 days a week, talk with your doctor about your asthma control.

You may need to make changes to your asthma action plan. Carry your quick-relief inhaler with you at all times in case you need it.

If your child has asthma, make sure that anyone caring for him or her has the child's quick-relief medicines, including staff at the child's school. They should understand when and how to use these medicines and when to seek medical care for your child. You shouldn't use quick-relief medicines in place of prescribed long-term control medicines. Quick-relief medicines don't reduce inflammation.

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To track your asthma, keep records of your symptoms, check your peak flow number using a peak flow meter, and get regular asthma checkups. You can record your asthma symptoms in a diary to see how well your treatments are controlling your asthma. If your asthma isn't well controlled, contact your doctor. He or she may need to change your asthma action plan.

This small, hand-held device shows how well air moves out of your lungs. You blow into the device and it gives you a score, or peak flow number. Your score shows how well your lungs are working at the time of the test. Your doctor will tell you how and when to use your peak flow meter. He or she also will teach you how to take your medicines based on your score. Your doctor and other health care providers may ask you to use your peak flow meter each morning and keep a record of your results. You may find it very useful to record peak flow scores for a couple of weeks before each medical visit and take the results with you.

When you're first diagnosed with asthma, it's important to find your "personal best" peak flow number.

To do this, you record your score each day for a 2- to 3-week period when your asthma is well-controlled. The highest number you get during that time is your personal best. You can compare this number to future numbers to make sure your asthma is controlled. Your peak flow meter can help warn you of an asthma attack, even before you notice symptoms. If your score shows that your breathing is getting worse, you should take your quick-relief medicines the way your asthma action plan directs.

Then you can use the peak flow meter to check how well the medicine worked. When you first begin treatment, you'll see your doctor about every 2 to 6 weeks. Once your asthma is controlled, your doctor may want to see you from once a month to twice a year. During these checkups, your doctor may ask whether you've had an asthma attack since the last visit or any changes in symptoms or peak flow measurements.

He or she also may ask about your daily activities. This information will help your doctor assess your level of asthma control. Your doctor also may ask whether you have any problems or concerns with taking your medicines or following your asthma action plan. Based on your answers to these questions, your doctor may change the dose of your medicine or give you a new medicine.

If your control is very good, you might be able to take less medicine. The goal is to use the least amount of medicine needed to control your asthma. Most people who have asthma, including many children, can safely manage their symptoms by following their asthma action plans.

Asthma in Older Adults

However, you might need medical attention at times. At the hospital, you'll be closely watched and given oxygen and more medicines, as well as medicines at higher doses than you take at home. Such treatment can save your life. The treatments described above generally apply to all people who have asthma. However, some aspects of treatment differ for people in certain age groups and those who have special needs. It's hard to diagnose asthma in children younger than 5 years. Thus, it's hard to know whether young children who wheeze or have other asthma symptoms will benefit from long-term control medicines.

Quick-relief medicines tend to relieve wheezing in young children whether they have asthma or not. Doctors will treat infants and young children who have asthma symptoms with long-term control medicines if, after assessing a child, they feel that the symptoms are persistent and likely to continue after 6 years of age.

For more information, go to "How Is Asthma Diagnosed? Inhaled corticosteroids are the preferred treatment for young children. Montelukast and cromolyn are other options. Treatment usually is stopped if benefits aren't seen during that time and the doctor and parents are confident the medicine was used properly. Inhaled corticosteroids can possibly slow the growth of children of all ages. Slowed growth usually is apparent in the first several months of treatment, is generally small, and doesn't get worse over time.

Poorly controlled asthma also may reduce a child's growth rate. Many experts think the benefits of inhaled corticosteroids for children who need them to control their asthma far outweigh the risk of slowed growth. Doctors may need to adjust asthma treatment for older adults who take certain other medicines, such as beta blockers, aspirin and other pain relievers, and anti-inflammatory medicines.

These medicines can prevent asthma medicines from working well and may worsen asthma symptoms. Be sure to tell your doctor about all of the medicines you take, including over-the-counter medicines. Older adults may develop weak bones from using inhaled corticosteroids, especially at high doses. Talk with your doctor about taking calcium and vitamin D pills, as well as other ways to help keep your bones strong. Pregnant women who have asthma need to control the disease to ensure a good supply of oxygen to their babies. Poor asthma control increases the risk of preeclampsia, a condition in which a pregnant woman develops high blood pressure and protein in the urine.

Poor asthma control also increases the risk that a baby will be born early and have a low birth weight. Studies show that it's safer to take asthma medicines while pregnant than to risk having an asthma attack. Talk with your doctor if you have asthma and are pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Your level of asthma control may get better or it may get worse while you're pregnant. Your health care team will check your asthma control often and adjust your treatment as needed.

Adults need physical activity to maintain good health. Children need it for growth and development.

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