Asthma Moderated by Mary Wilkinson, RN, BSN, Graduate Family Nurse Practitioner Student

What is asthma?

• Asthma is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects the lungs. Asthma causes irritation in your lung airways. Irritation can cause swelling and mucous production. The lining of the lungs is very sensitive to certain irritants or “triggers”. A “trigger” can be an allergy such as pollen, animals, mold, or house dust. A trigger can also be exercise, cold air, tobacco smoke or medications such as aspirin. When the lungs respond to a trigger, the muscles in the lung tighten (or get smaller) and the airways swell and produce thick mucous. This makes it difficult to breath. When your lung airways react to a “trigger”, this is called an asthma attack.

• An “attack” can be mild, moderate or severe. During a severe asthma attack, the airways may close so much that oxygen cannot to get to important organs in the body. This is an emergency. People can die from a severe asthma attack if it is not treated. Medication is usually needed to help breathing during an attack.

What are the symptoms?

• Coughing, especially at night or early morning, or with exercise
• Wheezing (whistling sound heard during breathing in or out)
• Feeling short of breath (unable to catch your breath)
• Chest tightness
• Faster breathing or noisy breathing

If you are having any of these symptoms, you should get in touch with your health care provider right away.

Not everyone with asthma has all of these symptoms. The symptoms are different for different people. Sometimes symptoms are only annoying and other times they are serious or even life threatening. The goal of treatment is to have few or no symptoms.

What causes asthma?

• Things in the environment can bring on your asthma attack. Some of these things include exercise, allergens (dust, molds, animals, pollen from trees or grass), and viral infections. Medications (like aspirin) can also cause an asthma attack

Who is at risk?

• Asthma is closely linked to allergies. People who have allergies may be more likely to get asthma. Most people with asthma have allergies.

• Someone with a family history of asthma (if someone in your family has asthma, you have more of a chance of getting it)
• People who where around “triggers” at a young age

How is asthma diagnosed?

• Your health care provider will ask if you have shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing (worse at night or early morning).
• Your provider will ask if your breathing problems are worse after activity or at a certain time of the year.
• Your provider will listen to your lungs for wheezing.
• Your provider will check how well your lungs are working with a plastic tool called a “spirometer”. This test measures how much air can be blown out of your lungs after taking a deep breath. The results will be lower than normal if your airways are swollen, which may mean you have asthma.

From the results of these tests, the doctor can determine how severe your asthma is. This will tell your doctor how to treat your asthma.

What is the treatment for asthma?

There are several types of treatment for asthma. There are long-term medications and short-term medications. Most people use a both long and short-term medication to control their asthma. Some medicine can be inhaled (or breathed-in) and some can be taken as a pill.

• Short-term medicine controls the symptoms of an asthma attack. If you are using your short-term medicine more often, you should contact your health-care provider
• Long-term control medicine helps you to have fewer and less severe attacks, but don’t help you if you’re having an asthma attack. These medications are taken every day.

The important thing to remember is that you can control your asthma with your health-care provider’s help. You should make your own asthma plan so you know what to do if you have an attack. Know your plan and let your friends and family know your plan. If your symptoms become worse, contact your health-care provider.

Resources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Center for Environmental Health
1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) or 404-639-3534
www.cdc.gov/nceh

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
85 West Algonquin Road, Suite 550
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
1-800-842-7777
www.acaai.org/

National Asthma Education and Prevention Program
P.O. Box 30105
Bethesda, MD 20824
301-592-8573
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/naepp/index.htm

American Lung Association
61 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10006
1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872)
www.lungusa.org

Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America
1233 20th Street, NW, Suite 402
Washington, DC 20036
1-800-7-ASTHMA (1-800-727-8462) or 202-466-7643
www.aafa.org

Allergy and Asthma Network/Mothers of Asthmatics
2751 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 150
Fairfax, VA 22031
1-800-878-4403
www.aanma.org/