Nearly
26 million people
in the United States have asthma. That’s about 1 in 13 people. Rates are
highest in the
Black, Hispanic, and American Indian/Alaska Native
populations.
Asthma affects
4.8 million children. Pennsylvania has some of the highest pediatric asthma rates in the country
— between 8.5 and 11.6 percent. And in Philadelphia, about
21 percent
of children have asthma!
Among U.S. children who have asthma,
about half have asthma that’s uncontrolled. That tells me we need to do a much better job of educating people on how
to recognize the symptoms of asthma, identify asthma triggers, and follow an
asthma plan to keep it controlled. That is the goal of this blog — to
increase awareness and overall asthma education.
What Is Asthma?
Asthma
is a chronic condition in which the tubes that carry air in and out of your
lungs get inflamed. This makes breathing harder and causes coughing and
wheezing. People can develop asthma
at any age.
Asthma can have a
major effect on someone’s quality of life. It can cause or contribute to insomnia, fatigue, weight gain, sleep apnea,
pneumonia, and certain
mental health conditions. So don’t ignore the symptoms. Get evaluated by a doctor and follow their
advice. With the guidance of a doctor, and by following a personalized
asthma action plan, asthma can be well-managed and cause less disruption to
daily life.
What Causes Asthma?
It’s not clear why
some people have asthma and others don’t, although environmental factors and family history may play a role in
determining whether someone has the condition.
However, asthma episodes can be caused (or “triggered”) by
a range of stimuli:
• Allergies, air pollution, cigarette smoke, and
other airborne irritants
• Respiratory viruses
• Exercise or physical activity
• Weather/air temperature
• Strong emotions
• Certain medicines
It’s very helpful to know what someone’s triggers are so they can try to
avoid them.
How Do You Know If You Have Asthma?
Common signs of asthma include
wheezing, coughing, or shortness of breath.
In a
severe asthma attack, there can be tightness in the chest, extreme difficulty breathing,
sweating, feeling faint, nausea, a rapid pulse, and clammy skin. Lips and
fingertips may even start turning blue due to a lack of oxygen. If you see
someone having these symptoms, get them to an emergency room right away or
call 911, and make sure they take their rescue medicine if they have one.
Severe asthma attacks can be life-threatening.
How Is Asthma Diagnosed?
If you or someone in your family shows signs of having asthma, talk to a
doctor. Start with your family doctor or pediatrician. They may refer you to
an allergy and asthma specialist for further evaluation and treatment.
Asthma testing usually involves
spirometry. A device measures how much air you can breathe out and how quickly you’re
able to do it. Based on the results plus a review of your symptoms and
health history, a doctor can determine whether you have asthma and outline
the best treatment plan for its daily management.
How Is Asthma Treated?
There are
many types of asthma medicines, but they basically fall into two categories:
• Rescue medications are taken when someone is experiencing
asthma symptoms to quickly relieve the inflammation that makes breathing so
difficult. They may be administered through an
inhaler, which you should carry with you always, or a
nebulizer, a machine that creates a vapor you inhale into your lungs.• Control medicines
are taken daily to help prevent asthma episodes from happening in the first
place.
Make sure your doctor shows you and your child how and when to take any
asthma medicines. If using an inhaler, always use a
spacer. This helps make sure the medicine gets into the lungs — where it’s needed
— instead of the mouth or stomach. Spacers not only help medicines work
better; they can also help prevent
thrush, which is a yeast infection in your mouth and throat.
What Else Can You Do About Asthma?
First, take your control and rescue medicines as prescribed! Second, know
your
triggers
so you can take steps to prevent asthma episodes. For instance:
• If possible,
improve your home’s air quality.
• If your asthma gets triggered by exercise, using your rescue inhaler before
a workout can prevent an asthma episode from happening.
• If you get asthma whenever you get sick, you might want to start using your
rescue medicines right when you start becoming ill.
• If your asthma is triggered by allergies or air pollution, you can
do things to limit your exposure.
Work with your doctor to form a comprehensive
management plan
covering all your medications, identifying and dealing with your triggers,
and handling emergencies. This will help minimize asthma’s impact on your
life.
Where Can You Get Support?
Asthma can be overwhelming and scary for both you and your child. Even when
you’re seeing a specialist, there may be times — like in the middle of the
night — when you’re worried or uncertain what to do.
If you’re an Independence Blue Cross member,
Registered Nurse Health Coaches
can answer your health questions 24/7. Just call 1-800-ASK-BLUE
(1-800-275-2583 TTY/TDD: 711) and follow the prompt for “Health Coach.” You
can also find many different types of support through the
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Just know that you’re not alone. With support and medical supervision,
asthma can usually be controlled, allowing people who have it to lead fairly normal lives.
This content was originally published on IBX
Insights.
About Michele Ewing, RN, BSN, CCM
Michele has been a Registered Nurse for over 30 years with her primary focus
in maternal/child health. She has experience in labor and delivery, high
risk pregnancy, newborn nursery, NICU/continuing care nursery, and
mother/baby care. Michele also worked in home care by providing home visits
for the assessment and education of high-risk pregnancy patients, well
mom/well baby visits, and NICU babies making their transition from hospital
to home. Now in a leadership role at Independence, Michele oversees the Baby
BluePrints, pediatric, and NICU team whose goal is to support a mom
throughout her pregnancy and through the transition to motherhood as well as
assisting families with the challenges of having a child in the hospital or
dealing with a chronic illness. Michele enjoys reading, musical theatre, and
spending time with her family.