Follow The Recommendations Below To Reduce Your Chance Of An Asthma Attack While Cleaning Follow Recommendations For Cleaning Your Home And In Your Facility
- If you have asthma:
- Ask an adult without asthma to clean and disinfect surfaces and objects for you.
- Stay in another room when cleaners or disinfectants are being used and right after their use.
- Use cleaning agents and disinfectant only when necessary. In routine situations, high-touch surfaces and objects might be cleaned effectively with soap and water.
- Make a list of the urgent care or health facilities near you that provides nebulizer/asthma treatments and keep it close to your phone.
- If you have an asthma attack, move away from the trigger, such as the cleaning agent or disinfectant or the area that was disinfected. Follow your Asthma Action Plan. Call 911 for medical emergencies.
Smoking Could Reduce Your Asthma Life Expectancy
Because smoking harms your respiratory system, it negatively impacts asthma life expectancy. People with asthma already suffer from narrowed and inflamed airways, and tobacco smoke further irritates the airways by damaging the cilia that remove the dust and mucus from the airways. Even inhaling secondhand smoke could lead to decreased lung function and increased airway inflammation, which could spur an asthma attack. Quitting or not allowing anyone to smoke in your home, car or around you helps reduce your exposure to nicotine and other substances in tobacco smoke that could trigger an asthma attack.
Benefits Of Shared Medical Appointments
A is an exciting and new model of care that increases the amount of time that a provider has with you. The SMA involves meeting with a provider in a comfortable and friendly group setting with other patients who have a similar health condition. This team approach allows us to provide you with a better understanding of how to take care of your health and answer your specific questions. For our asthma patients, it offers help and support to one another by sharing experiences.
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The Impact Of Asthma On Daily Life
Asthma is often under-diagnosed and under-treated, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
People with under-treated asthma can suffer sleep disturbance, tiredness during the day, and poor concentration. Asthma sufferers and their families may miss school and work, with financial impact on the family and wider community. If symptoms are severe, people with asthma may need to receive emergency health care and they may be admitted to hospital for treatment and monitoring. In the most severe cases, asthma can lead to death.
What Kind Of Physician Treats Adult Onset Asthma
Many older patients are treated for asthma by their internist or family physician; however, if your asthma symptoms are not under control within three to six months, or if you have severe persistent asthma, or if you are having asthma episodes that need emergency treatment, it may be time to see an asthma specialist. Allergists/Immunologists or pulmonologists are specialists who treat asthma. Those who have completed training in those specialties are usually called board-certified or board-eligible.
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What Is The Best Way To Live With Asthma
The key to good living with asthma is developing a strong partnership between patients, caregivers, and physicians. Practical steps include the following:
;; Make an asthma care management plan with your physician. An asthma management plan helps you understand what to do when specific situations arise. Each time you visit the physician, talk about your plan, and make any necessary changes.
;; Educate yourself. Stay informed about the latest developments in asthma and allergy care and treatment. Ask your physician about new medications or research findings that may relate to your care.
;; Get regular medical care. If you have asthma, you should see your physician at least once a year, even if your symptoms are under control. When you become sick, or if you have significant changes in your health, you should also talk with your physician about how your asthma could be affected.
;; Take your medicine. Your asthma medications will make you feel better and sometimes people think thats the time to stop. Its not! Use your medications as prescribed.
With good management, asthma symptoms can be controlled. Most people who develop adult onset asthma are able to lead normal lives. Expect success!
Cardiac Asthma Is Not The Same As Asthma
Although they share a name, cardiac asthma is not a type of asthma. Asthma is caused by the narrowing and inflammation of the airways in the lungs, while cardiac asthma is coughing or that occurs due to left-sided heart failure. Treatments for cardiac asthma typically are the same as those for heart failure. Cardiac asthma prognosis depends on several factors, including what stage your heart failure is in, your diet, and lifestyle elements, such as exercise routine and tobacco and alcohol use. The mortality rate for heart failure at one year is 22% and at five years is 43%.
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What Is An Asthma Action Plan
Your healthcare provider will work with you to develop an asthma action plan. This plan tells you how and when to use your medicines. It also tells you what to do if your asthma gets worse and when to seek emergency care. Understand the plan and ask your healthcare provider about anything you dont understand.
You Think Your Asthma Is Under Control
Most of the asthmatic patients do not realize that their condition has worsened unless they are admitted to the emergency ward. They think that they are alright as long as they are regularly using their rescue medication when needed. In reality, even if the asthma is silent, i.e. without any coughing or wheezing, or breathing difficulty, there can be the presence of lung inflammation. Asthma patients get used to the breathing difficulty and stop focusing on it over a period.
If you have persistent asthma, but you treat it only during the attacks, then you are not controlling it properly. Taking controller medication is important to reduce the inflammation and mucus production, thereby healing the lungs which is highly important so that you wont suffer from untreated asthma. Controller medication opens up the airways making it easy for you to breath. Just 60 seconds of inhalation with asthma pump can provide you relief for several hours or even days.
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Childhood Asthma May Improve But Never Truly Goes Away
As children with asthma grow up, their asthma stays with them. While they may experience fewer asthma symptoms, the possibility of an asthma attack remains. Continued treatments, such as long-term control medications and rescue medications can help keep asthma under control. Lifestyle choices, such as not smoking, exercising regularly, reducing pet dander, and regular cleaning can also help prevent asthma attacks.
Taking All Asthma Medications As Directed
People with asthma should continue to take all asthma medications, including rescue inhalers, steroid inhalers, steroid pills, and biologics as directed. Uncontrolled asthma is a serious health threat for people with asthma. The AAFA recommend that individuals have a 1430-day supply of their medications.
The CDC advise people to follow an asthma action plan. People can find a list of resources on their website .
An asthma action plan is a personalized plan that people can follow to control their asthma and prevent asthma attacks. This includes:
- having a good supply of medication
- knowing how to use an inhaler correctly
- avoiding asthma triggers
- alcohol or food additives, such as sulfites
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Having Compromised Airways Is Scary And Can Take A Psychological Toll
JoJo ONeal, 55, of Orlando, Florida, was diagnosed with severe asthma in 2004. She now runs a Lets Kick Asthma support group, where she has an activity called the Straw Challenge: Anyone who doesnt have asthma is asked to take a cocktail straw, hold their nose, and only breathe through the straw for 15 seconds. Most people dont make it through those 15 seconds; they begin to panic, she says. And thats when I tell them, Imagine. At times it may not be that severe, but it can be. The psychological aspects of going through an asthma attack can really mess with your mind.
Know The Major Dangers Of Untreated Asthma
It is known that a person treated for asthma can lead a normal life. So what happens to those patients who are untreated? Luckily many of them do not suffer from severe asthma but end up visiting the hospitals frequently when asthma flares. However, in rare cases, you can suffer serious medical problems making it even more difficult to;control asthma. The dangers of untreated asthma are troublesome both in terms of health and financial perspective. They can range from lifestyle disruptions to even long hospital stays and deaths. The following are the worst case scenarios.
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Association Between Asthma And Comorbidities
Several studies documented that numerous comorbidities are frequently associated with asthma. Therefore, the identification of comorbidities must become an integral part of the core management of asthma. A systematic evaluation, not only of the presence of comorbid conditions, is necessary, but we have to ensure that these are also adequately treated/controlled so that their effect on asthma is minimized .
The AIE was associated with cardiovascular and hypertensive diseases. Also weakly associated with depression, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis and rhino sinusitis. In contrast, it was strongly associated with GORD and, particularly, allergic rhinitis.
Being female slightly increased the association of all cardio- vascular diseases, mainly heart failure, but not angina, coronary disease and acute or old myocardial infarction, with asthma. In males, there was no association between asthma and acute or old myocardial infarction; moreover, in males, asthma was not associated with hypertensive disease. However, in contrast to females, males presented with an association between asthma and angina and coronary disease. In females, the association between diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, osteoporosis, depression, psychiatric disorders and GORD and asthma was stronger than in males. In males there was no association between asthma and diabetes whereas the association between asthma and allergic rhinitis and rhino sinusitis was stronger than in females .
I Can Exercise But May Need To Take Breaks And Watch Out For Myself
Exercising is not a matter of self-discipline for someone with asthma; they may need to stop to give their lungs a rest.
Sommers mother, Ginny, recalls a time when her daughter was in elementary school gym class and stopped because she was short of breath: The gym teacher asked what was going on, and when Kendra said she was having trouble breathing, he said, You dont stop for anything, not even to tie your shoes, she recalls. Ginny later explained to the teacher the specifics of Kendras asthma, as he didnt know about the condition.
Still, exercise is important when you have severe asthma, and with proper treatment, its possible to stay active. Asthma should never be a deterrent as far as exercise, says Dr. Mora. We can get the asthma under control so that you can achieve and do everything that you want.
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I May Need To Make Environmental Changes To Help Stay Healthy
People with allergic asthma triggers need to be aware of their surroundings and make adjustments to stay healthy. I make sure our pets are well-groomed. We clean our vents twice a year, and were very strict about not having dander and allergens in our home, says Imhoff. I also like to garden, but I have to take a lot of breaks.
Are There Special Considerations In Treating Asthma In Older Adults
Yes. First of all, treatment of asthma for older adults can be complicated by the fact that so many older people take multiple medications for various health conditions. Some asthma medications can react with those other treatments, causing unpleasant side effects. In addition, other medications may actually worsen asthma symptoms.
Secondly, older patients are more likely than younger patients to have mental confusion or memory problems. This may be the result of normal aging or of an illness, such as Alzheimers disease. Whatever the cause, these problems can make it difficult for certain older patients to follow treatment instructions especially if that person takes medications for a variety of health conditions.
Additionally, many asthma medications come in the form of an L-shaped metered dose inhaler which requires a certain degree of manual coordination and dexterity. Older people are more likely to have difficulty with this type of medication device, and in using it, may not receive the correct dose. Treatment with a dry powder inhaler or oral medications can help older asthma patients avoid problems with use of L-shaped inhalers.
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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Asthma Types
Symptoms may occur during the day or at night. If they happen at night, they may disturb your sleep.
Wheezing is the most common symptom of an asthma attack.
Current guidelines for the care of people with asthma include classifying the severity of asthma symptoms, as follows:
The exact cause of asthma is not known.
An Asthma Action Plan
An asthma action plan can be defined as a written course of action that guides patients in the management of their asthma . Its purpose is to minimize exacerbations and reduce asthma-related medical emergencies. Evidence-based guidelines put forth by the National Institutes for Health have been used to develop asthma action plans . However, each asthma patient requires a customized action plan that is specific to their needs.
One advantage of an asthma action plan is that it is a one-stop point for all asthma management information. Components of an asthma action plan include specific drugs to take every day, how to identify improvements or deteriorations in asthma progression and the best course of action. Details concerning asthma exacerbations and how to handle them are also provided. Studies show that adhering to an action plan lowers the likelihood of hospital stays among asthma patients .
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How Do Healthcare Providers Diagnose Asthma
Your healthcare provider will review your medical history, including information about your parents and siblings. Your provider will also ask you about your symptoms. Your provider will need to know any history of allergies, eczema and other lung diseases.
Your healthcare provider may order a chest X-ray, blood test or skin test. Your provider may order spirometry. This test measures airflow through your lungs.
What Causes Adults To Develop Asthma
At least 30% of adult asthma cases are triggered by allergies. People who are allergic to cats may have an increased risk for developing adult onset asthma. Exposure to allergens or irritants such as cigarette smoke, chemicals, mold, dust, or other substances commonly found in the persons environment might trigger the first asthma symptoms in an adult.
Prolonged exposure to certain workplace materials may set off asthma symptoms in adults.
Hormonal fluctuations in women may play a role in adult onset asthma. Some women first develop asthma symptoms during or after a pregnancy. Women going through menopause can develop asthma symptoms for the first time.
Different illnesses, viruses, or infections can be a factor in adult onset asthma. A bad cold or a bout with the flu is often a factor in adult onset asthma.
Smoking does not cause adult onset asthma; however, if you smoke or if you are exposed to cigarette smoke , it may provoke asthma symptoms.
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