What Are The Risks Of Asthma

What Are The Common Side Effects Of Symbicort

Make sure to discuss any new side effects with a doctor. The most common side effects of Symbicort asthma treatment include:

• eye health issues, such as cataracts and glaucoma
• blood vessel swelling
• lower respiratory tract infections, including pneumonia

Some of the serious side effects associated with Symbicort may be a result of using the medication with another LABA or from excessive use .

Increased Risk Of Infection

With all types of asthma, exposure to irritants inflames your airway tissues, causing an asthma attack. It’s your body’s way of protecting the tissue, but it restricts air passage in and out of the lungs and makes breathing difficult. Chest tightness and wheezing are signs of inflammation.

Inhaled corticosteroids are often used to control inflammation in asthma. However, continual inflammation can increase the risk of lung infections because it allows infectious material to become trapped in the lungs.

Will Your Child Outgrow Asthma

Once a person’s airways become sensitive, they remain that way for life. About half of the children who have asthma have a noticeable decrease in symptoms by the time they become adolescentsâtherefore, appearing to have “outgrown” their asthma. However, about half of these children will develop asthma symptoms again in their 30s or 40s. Unfortunately, there is no way to predict whose symptoms will decrease during adolescence and whose will return later in life.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 04/01/2019.

References

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What Are The Risk Factors For Bronchial Spasms

Youre at higher risk of developing asthma, a common cause of bronchial spasms, if you have another allergic condition. For example, if you have food allergy or eczema, youre more likely to develop asthma. Youre also more likely to experience it if you have a close relative with asthma or other allergic conditions.

Heavy smokers are at greater risk of developing asthma and most other lung problems, including acute bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. Inhaling secondhand smoke also increases your risk of these conditions. Frequent exposure to air pollution or chemicals in your home or workplace can also increase your chances of developing them.

Older adults, young children, and anyone whose immune system is impaired face greater chances of developing respiratory infections. These infections can lead to acute bronchitis and bronchial spasms.

Risk Factors For An Asthma Attack

In someone who has asthma, an asthma attack occurs when something suddenly prompts your airways to narrow and become swollen. This makes breathing extremely difficult, and it is why a severe asthma attack necessitates a visit to a doctor right away.

The attack is often the result of an allergic reaction, such as to pollutants in the air. Asthma symptoms are triggered as allergens are introduced into the lungs, causing tightness in the chest, wheezing, trouble breathing, and coughing.

Surprisingly, asthma is one of the most common reasons why kids miss school. Approximately 10% of American children have asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , a division of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services .

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Less Common Asthma Triggers

Although these triggers are relatively uncommon, they are potentially serious for people who are sensitive to them.

• Medications: A number of different medications are associated with asthma flare-ups, including pain medications and beta-blockers.
• Food allergies: Some foods like fish, soy, eggs, wheat, and tree nuts are common food allergens. In some patients with life-threatening food allergies, eating these foods can also trigger asthma attacks, which can be deadly.
• Exercise: Wheezing, coughing, and chest pain can occur in response to physical activity in people with asthma. This is known as exercise-induced bronchoconstriction and is most common in teens and young adults.

Why Is My Asthma Worse At Night

Asthma that gets worse at night is sometimes called nighttime asthma or nocturnal asthma. There are no definite reasons that this happens, but there are some educated guesses. These include:

• The way you sleep: Sleeping on your back can result in mucus dripping into your throat or acid reflux coming back up from your stomach. Also, sleeping on your back puts pressure on your chest and lungs, which makes breathing more difficult. However, lying face down or on your side can put pressure on your lungs.
• Triggers in your bedroom and triggers that happen in the evening: You may find your blankets, sheets and pillows have dust mites, mold or pet hair on them. If youve been outside in the early evening, you may have brought pollen in with you.
• Medication side effects: Some drugs that treat asthma, such as steroids and montelukast, can affect your sleep.
• Air thats too hot or too cold: Hot air can cause airways to narrow when you breathe in. Cold air is an asthma trigger for some people.
• Lung function changes: Lung function lessens at night as a natural process.
• Asthma is poorly controlled during the day: Symptoms that arent controlled during the day wont be better at night. Its important to work with your provider to make sure your asthma symptoms are controlled both day and night. Treating nighttime symptoms is very important. Serious asthma attacks, and sometimes deaths, can happen at night.

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Environmental Factors And Asthma

Indoor air pollution such as cigarette smoke, mold, and noxious fumes from household cleaners and paints can cause allergic reactions and asthma. Environmental factors such as pollution, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, ozone, cold temperatures, and high humidity are all known to trigger asthma in susceptible individuals. In fact, asthma symptoms and hospital admissions are greatly increased during periods of heavy air pollution. Ozone is the major destructive ingredient in smog. It causes coughing, shortness of breath, and even chest pain — and can boost the susceptibility to infection. Sulfur dioxide, another component of smog, also irritates the airways and constricts the air passages, resulting in asthma attacks.

Gas stoves are the primary source of indoor nitrogen dioxide, a common indoor pollutant. Studies show that people who cook with gas are more likely to have wheezing, breathlessness, asthma attacks, and hay fever than those who cook with other methods. It is estimated that more than half of the households in the U.S. use gas stoves.

Weather changes can also result in asthma attacks in some people. For instance, cold air causes airway congestion and an increase in mucus production. Increases in humidity may also cause breathing difficulty in a certain population.

Can Symbicort Make Asthma Worse

Symbicort itself doesnt make asthma worse. However, research shows that theres a higher chance of asthma-related hospitalization and death in people who use formoterol as a monotherapy, or without using an inhaled corticosteroid alongside it.

Also, if you experience worsening wheezing or other asthma symptoms, this could mean that the medication isnt working as it should. Call a doctor if your asthma gets worse and/or if youre frequently relying on a rescue inhaler.

Additionally, before starting Symbicort, there are short-term side effects and long-term risks to consider.

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What Is Asthma Should You Be Concerned

Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease in which a persons airways inside the lungs become narrow and swell. The airways turn red due to the disease and grow extra-sensitive to certain triggers from the environment. When faced with such triggers, the airways swell even more and secrete large amounts of mucus. This condition makes it difficult for a person to breathe and trigger coughing, wheezing and breathlessness.

Asthma Attack And Respiratory Failure

People with severe asthma also have an increased risk for respiratory failure. Respiratory failure occurs when not enough oxygen travels from your lungs to your blood. Life-threatening asthma is rare, but tends to cause symptoms that get progressively worse over several days. Ask your doctor more about your treatment options and how to manage your condition, if you believe you may have asthma that is life-threatening.

If respiratory failure isnt treated immediately, it can lead to death. The estimates that nine Americans die from asthma every day. There are more than 4,000 asthma-related deaths a year in America. But many of these deaths are preventable with proper symptom and emergency care.

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What Are The Risk Factors For Asthmatic Bronchitis

A number of factors that occur in conjunction with asthma increase the risk of bronchitis. Not all people with asthma who are exposed to risk factors will get asthmatic bronchitis, however.

Infection is usually the cause of asthmatic bronchitis.

Risk factors or triggers for the exacerbation of asthma include:

Short-term asthma medications help in the event of an asthma attack.

Doctors do not tend to treat acute bronchitis with antibiotics, as the cause is usually a viral infection. Expectorants can help thin mucus in the airways, making it easier to cough it up.

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How Is Asthma In Children Diagnosed

Asthma is often difficult to diagnose in infants. However, the disease can often be diagnosed in older children based on the child’s medical history, symptoms, and physical examination, and on certain tests:

• Medical history and symptom description: The healthcare provider will ask about any history of breathing problems your child may have, as well as a family history of asthma, allergies, a skin condition called eczema, or other lung diseases. Be sure to describe your child’s symptoms in detail, including when and how often these symptoms have been occurring.
• Physical exam: During the physical examination, the doctor will listen to your child’s heart and lungs.
• Tests: Many children will have a chest X-ray and pulmonary function tests, which measure the amount of air in the lungs and how fast it can be exhaled . The results will help the provider determine how severe the asthma is. Children younger than 5 are usually unable to perform pulmonary function tests, so doctors rely heavily on history, symptoms, and physical examination in making the diagnosis.

The doctor may order other tests to help identify particular asthma triggers, including allergy skin testing and blood tests.

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What Makes A Child More Likely To Develop Asthma

There are many risk factors for developing childhood asthma. These include:

• Family history of asthma, allergies and atopy .
• Frequent respiratory infections.
• Being African American.
• Being raised in a low-income environment.

In children who are under five years of age, the most common cause of asthma symptoms is upper respiratory viral infections such as the common cold.

Family History Of Asthma

Blame Mom or Dad or both for your asthma. Your inherited genetic makeup predisposes you to having asthma. In fact, it’s thought that three-fifths of all asthma cases are hereditary. According to a CDC report, if a person has a parent with asthma, they are three to six times more likely to develop asthma than someone who does not have a parent with asthma.

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How Long Asthma Lasts For

Asthma is a long-term condition for many people, particularly if it first develops when you’re an adult.

In children, it sometimes goes away or improves during the teenage years, but can come back later in life.

The symptoms can usually be controlled with treatment. Most people will have normal, active lives, although some people with more severe asthma may have ongoing problems.

Are There Genetic Risk Factors Of Asthma

Family history of asthma is a main risk factor for asthma. For example, people with a parent with asthma are 3 to 6 times more likely to develop asthma.2

This means there is a genetic element to asthma development. Researchers have identified mutations in many genes that may be linked to asthma or wheezing. However, we do not yet understand what the most important genes are and their specific roles.3,4

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Caring For Your Mdi And Chamber

For most MDIs, remove the canister and rinse the plastic holder with warm running water once a week to prevent the holes from getting clogged. Shake well and let air dry. There are some medications in which the inhaler cannot be removed from the holder. These usually need to be cleaned by wiping the mouthpiece with a cloth or cleaning with a dry cotton swab. Refer to the patient instructions that come with your inhaler.

Clean the chamber about once a week. Remove the soft ring at the end of the chamber. Soak the spacer in warm water with a mild detergent. Carefully clean and, rinse, and shake off excess water. Do not hand dry. Allow to completely air dry. Do not store the chamber in a plastic bag.

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What Should You Do If Your Child Has An Asthma Attack

If your child is showing symptoms of an asthma attack:

• Give your child their reliever medicine according to the asthma action plan.
• Wait 15 minutes. If the symptoms go away, your child should be able to resume whatever activity they were doing. If symptoms persist, follow the Asthma Action Plan for further therapy.
• If your child fails to improve, or if you aren’t sure what action to take, call your care provider.

The danger signs of an asthma attack are:

• Severe wheezing.
• Trouble walking and/or talking,
• Blue lips and/or fingernails.

If your child has any of these danger signs/symptoms, go to the nearest emergency department or call 911.

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What Is A Cheaper Alternative To Symbicort

The answer to this question isnt simple, as opting for an alternative to Symbicort could ultimately mean taking more than one medication separately.

SMART therapy is intended to reduce your need for multiple types of asthma medications. In theory, this might help decrease the overall costs of your asthma treatment.

Still, the out-of-pocket cost for a 30-day supply of Symbicort 80/4.5 and 160/4.5 is about $303 and $347, respectively. The exact amount you may have to pay depends on your overall insurance coverage as well as what your pharmacy charges for the medication.

As of 2022, the cost of Symbicort with Medicare Part D was $31 per month. Medicaid also significantly offsets the cost of Symbicort, with some people paying as little as $2 per month.

If youre having trouble affording Symbicort, talk with a doctor. They may refer you to assistance programs or offer coupons to make your medication more affordable. You can also ask your doctor to prescribe a generic version to reduce the overall cost.

How To Stay Safe

One of the best ways to stay safe with asthma during the pandemic is to follow public health guidance to lower the risk of catching COVID-19:

• Continue asthma medication as prescribed.
• Follow your asthma action plan.
• Keep a 30-day supply of medicines at home.
• Wash your hands regularly, avoid close contact with others, and socially distance where possible.
• When washing your hands, wash with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use a hand sanitizer containing 60% alcohol.
• Wear a face mask in public settings and where social distancing is not possible.
• Avoid crowded situations.
• Practice self-monitoring.
• Avoid contact with people who are unwell.
• If someone in your home becomes unwell, follow medical guidance and isolation advice to reduce the risk of spreading the virus in your home.

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Why Are More Children Getting Asthma

No one really knows why more and more children are developing asthma. Suggestions include the following:

• Children are being exposed to more and more allergens such as dust, air pollution and second-hand smoke.
• Children arent exposed to enough childhood illnesses to build up their immune systems.
• Lower rates of breastfeeding have prevented important substances of the immune system from being passed on to babies.

What Should I Do If I Have A Severe Asthma Attack

If you have a severe asthma attack, you need to get immediate medical care.

The first thing you should do is use your rescue inhaler. A rescue inhaler uses fast-acting medicines to open up your airways. Its different than a maintenance inhaler, which you use every day. You should use the rescue inhaler when symptoms are bothering you and you can use it more frequently if your flare is severe.

If your rescue inhaler doesnt help or you dont have it with you, go to the emergency department if you have:

• Anxiety or panic.
• Very quick or rapid breathing.

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What Are The Risks Of Anesthesia If You Have Asthma

People with asthma are at an increased risk of developing bronchospasm when receiving general anesthesia.

Bronchospasm decrease the amount of air that can come in and out of your lungs, leading to hypoxemia. The medical term hypoxemia is used to describe a low level of oxygen in your blood.

Hypoxemia can sometimes lead to another condition, hypoxia, where your body tissues do not receive enough oxygen.

A lack of oxygen to your brain, heart, or other major organs can lead to organ damage within minutes. In severe cases, hypoxia can lead to death.

Most complications from low blood oxygen levels arise soon after surgery in the recovery room.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Asthma In Children

Signs and symptoms of asthma in children include:

• Frequent coughing spells, which may occur while the child is playing, laughing, or at night or right after waking. Coughing may be the only symptom.
• Less energy during play.
• Complaint of chest tightness or the chest “hurting.”
• Whistling sound when the child is breathing in or out.
• Retractions in the chest from difficulty breathing.
• Shortness of breath or loss of breath.
• Tightened neck and chest muscles.
• Feelings of weakness or tiredness.

Not all children have the same asthma symptoms. Symptoms can vary from episode to episode in the same child. In addition, not all wheezing or coughing is caused by asthma.

If your child has problems breathing, take him or her to the pediatrician for an evaluation. Your child may be referred to a specialist, such as a pediatric pulmonary provider or a pediatric allergist.

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