Asthma that is not well controlled can cause many problems. People miss work or school, go to the hospital, or even die because of their asthma. But you do not have to put up with the problems that asthma can cause.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute offers the following tips to help keep your asthma under control:
You can prevent serious problems related to asthma by getting proper care. With the help of your doctor, you can have control over your asthma and become symptom-free most of the time. But your asthma does not go away when your symptoms go away. You must take care of your asthma, even if you have a mild case.
You may have all of these asthma symptoms, some of them, or just one. Symptoms can be mild or severe and may include:
Use the following questionnaire to assess whether your asthma is under control. If your asthma is under control, you should be able to say “no” to all of the questions.
Is Your Asthma Under Control?
(Answer these questions “yes” or “no.” Do this just before each doctor’s visit.) | ||
---|---|---|
In the past two weeks: | ||
1. Have you coughed, wheezed, felt short of breath, or had chest tightness: | ||
During the day? | YES | NO |
At night, causing you to wake up? | YES | NO |
During or soon after exercise? | YES | NO |
2. Have needed to use “quick relief” medicines more than twice per week? | YES | NO |
3. Has your asthma kept you from doing anything you wanted to do? | YES | NO |
4. Have your asthma medicines caused you any problems, like shakiness, sore throat or upset stomach? | YES | NO |
In the past few months: | ||
5. Have you missed school or work because of your asthma? | YES | NO |
6. Have you gone to the emergency room or hospital because of your asthma? | YES | NO |
What Your Answers Mean:
|
There are two main kinds of asthma control medicines: long-term control medicines and short-term (quick-relief) medicines.
Long-term Control Medicines
Long-term control medicines prevent symptoms and control asthma. It often takes a few weeks before you feel the full effects of this medicine. Ask your doctor about taking daily long-term control medicines if you:
If you need long-term control medicine, you will need to take your medicine each day. Post reminders to yourself to take your medicine on time.
For almost everyone with asthma, a long-term control regimen should include a form of inhaled cortisone (“steroid”). Ask your doctor if you are not sure whether a steroid is part of your treatment.
Short-term or “Quick-Relief” Medicines
Inhaled quick-relief medicine quickly relaxes and opens your airways and relieves asthma symptoms. But it only helps for about four hours. Take quick-relief medicine when you first have symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and chest tightness. This can keep you from having an asthma attack. Do not delay!
Tell your doctor if you notice that you’re using more of this medication than usual. This is often a sign that your long-term control medicine needs to be changed or increased.
A peak flow meter helps you to check how well your asthma is controlled, especially if you have moderate to severe asthma. Ask your doctor or other healthcare providers to check how you use your peak flow meter—just to be sure you are using it correctly.
You should use your peak flow meter at the following times:
If you use more than one peak flow meter (such as at home and at school), be sure that both meters are the same brand.
You can help prevent asthma attacks by staying away from things that make your asthma worse. Keep in mind that some things that make asthma worse for some people are not a problem for others.
Common asthma triggers include:
RESOURCES:
American Lung Association
http://www.lungusa.org
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
http://www.aafa.org/
CANADIAN RESOURCES:
Asthma Society of Canada
http://www.asthma.ca/
Health Canada
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index_e.html
References:
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/. Accessed August 18, 2008.
National Institutes of Health. http://www.nih.gov/. Accessed August 18, 2008.
Last reviewed June 2010 by Brian Randall, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © 2007 EBSCO Publishing All rights reserved.