Adult Onset Asthma - Myth or Reality

While asthma frequently begins in childhood, symptoms can begin at any age. Asthma beginning after age 21 is considered 'adult onset'. Many people with "adult onset asthma" actually had asthma in childhood. Oftentimes childhood asthma is misdiagnosed as repeated bronchitis, persistent colds, croup or reactive airways disease. In many people asthma symptoms improve during puberty but return in later life. Adult asthma may be confused with emphysema or chronic bronchitis.

How to Sleep Better with Asthma and Allergies

Most physicians agree neither asthma patients nor their caregivers have to suffer from disturbed sleep. The major reason an asthma patient might have a poor night's sleep is uncontrolled or poorly controlled asthma. Many asthma flare-ups or symptoms occur at night, robbing patients of the rest they need in order to withstand and recuperate from these same flare-ups. Asthma symptoms like wheezing & coughing disturb sleep and are usually at their worst at 4 am and are referred to as the "morning dip". Steps can be taken to change and improve this situation to get a better night's sleep for patients

Controlling Stress Helps Control Asthma

If not controlled, stress causes health problems. It lowers our resistance and makes us prone to diseases and skin eruptions; it can make us emotional cripples and age us prematurely; it can lead to the loss of jobs, friends, family and loved ones. Studies show stress is associated with the onset of depression or anxiety; it diminishes our quality of life by reducing our feelings of pleasure and accomplishment. Stress can be a major trigger for asthma attacks. A chronic illness like asthma creates its own stress because of the constant medical, emotional and physical disease pressures. Dealing with your stress levels, or those of your asthmatic child, is an important step towards controlling and preventing asthma symptoms, as well as enjoying life a lot more!

How Can You Help Control Your Asthma Triggers?

People with asthma have very sensitive airways which may react to things called triggers (stimuli that can cause asthma episodes). Triggers can be allergens that are found in nature, or they may be irritants, chemicals or other environmental pollutants. When exposed to triggers, these sensitive airways may become swollen, tighten up and produce excess mucus in the presence of triggers. Triggers may make asthma symptoms worse or keep a person from getting better. It's important to identify them and learn ways to avoid them.

CFC to HFA: What Does This Mean to Asthma Patients?

Most asthma patients require two types of medication: quick-relief or rescue medications for emergency use — the albuterol drugs (quick acting bronchodilators) and controller or preventative medications used on a regular basis to contain the disease and prevent flare-ups or episodes. Quick-relief medication, the albuterol drugs, is often in MDI — Metered Dose Inhaler — format which uses a propellant to deliver the medicine to the lungs. Legislated changes in the type of propellant used will have an impact on asthma patients.

Asthma Triggers

Many things can start, or trigger, an asthma flare-up, episode or attack. It's important to learn what your triggers are and then avoid them.

What Is Asthma?

Do you know what John F. Kennedy, Teddy Roosevelt, Helen Hayes, Charles Dickens, Che Guevara, Billy Joel, Liza Minnelli, Bob Hope, Coolio, Elizabeth Taylor, Wynonna Judd, Kenny G. Dennis Rodman, Greg Louganis, Jackie Joyner and Jerome Bettis have in common? They, like 1 of every 12 of your friends and family, have asthma. Some of these people died from their asthma just like an average of 14 Americans die daily from this incurable disease. Asthma is the most chronic incurable disease affecting children. It is the leading reason for school and workplace absenteeism. More girls than boys have asthma and more African-Americans and Hispanics have asthma than Caucasian Americans. No one yet knows why some people have asthma and others don't. Scientists think it's a combination of genetics or heredity and environmental factors. If one or more of your parents have asthma, there's a good chance you'll have it, too. Almost 70% of those with asthma have allergic asthma, meaning their asthma symptoms are started or triggered by allergies. Others have asthma that is triggered by exercise, and some have a combination. Some people have mild asthma which means they don't have symptoms often; others have severe asthma with symptoms most of the time. Asthma is a chronic disease, which means it never goes away - but it can be controlled. It can be controlled or managed by eliminating or avoiding the triggers or allergens and irritants which cause symptoms or flare-ups and by following the medication plan that a physician prescribes. But what is asthma?

Asthma Meds Simplified

Asthma medications take many forms: pills, syrups, inhalers, liquids used in a nebulizer, (a machine which directs the flow of medicine more intensely). Asthma medications work in different ways to help control asthma and, for many patients, more than one type of medication is usually required. Because everyone's asthma is different, physicians will prescribe different medications at different times to different persons. Over time, your doctor may change your medications, which is why it's important to visit your healthcare provider regularly. Basically, there are two types of medications: long-term control medicine which works to keep breathing easy and asthma symptoms and flares from starting, and quick relief medicines or rescue medicines, used when the patient feels a flare-up starting or when peak flow readings are low. These medications work fast and stop flares by opening up the airways and relaxing the muscles around the airways. See the accompanying chart for the 5 basic categories of asthma medications.

Ozone, Allergies and Asthma

Ozone: "Good up high, bad nearby." Ozone in the stratosphere or upper layer of the Earth's atmosphere protects us from the sun's ultra-violet rays. Ozone found in the troposphere, or the lowest part of the Earth's atmosphere, is a potent lung irritant and a known trigger for asthma symptoms and flare-ups. Ozone is found in air pollution and consists of man-made by-products of gasoline, diesel fuels and coal. These emissions combine with oxygen to form ozone, usually on sunny, high temperature days, (May through September in Texas) normally in late afternoon and early evening; this ozone pollution fades during cooler nights.

Inhaling ozone pollution is very corrosive to our respiratory tract, damaging the air sacs in the lungs.  Exposure can inflame lung tissue and cause respiratory infections, especially for people with asthma and allergies.  Signs of a bad reaction to ozone include an inability to breathe deeply, a raspy voice, runny nose (rhinitis), headache, chest pains and coughing. As if ozone itself wasn't harmful enough, the reactive nature of ozone can change the chemical composition of many materials and substances in a destructive way. Those substances, including household cleaning products, are often harmless in and of themselves. But when ozone reacts with chemicals found indoors, the new chemicals formed can be irritating and extremely dangerous to our health.

Outdoor ozone is dangerous but ozone is also found indoors. It is created by devices such as copiers, computer printers, fax machines and ozone generators. Ionizers and electronic precipitators (air purifiers) also create ozone as a by-product. The EPA has done research on the effects of ozone and the devices that generate ozone.  This can be found at www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/ozonegen.html There is no difference, despite some manufacturers' claims, between the danger to asthmatics in outdoor ozone or indoor ozone. There are ways to protect yourself and your children from the harmful affects of ozone. Learn what you can do to reduce the affects of indoor and outdoor ozone pollution.

Tips for Parents on Coping with Childhood Asthma or Allergies

Asthma is the number 1 chronic disease in children in the U.S. with 1.8 million asthma-related emergency room visits and 500,000 hospitalizations annually, half for kids under the age of 15. A parent of an asthmatic or allergic child often feels helpless, frightened and frustrated when their child is in the midst of an attack or even in anticipation of another attack. Childhood asthma can mean sleepless nights, fatigue, tension and irritation for parents and siblings as well as for the affected child, diminishing the quality of life for the whole family. But there are ways to cope with having an asthmatic or severely allergic child, ways to improve the quality of family life while handling these diseases. The Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America, Texas Chapter, offers advice to help caregivers cope.

Consejos para manejar el asma y las alergias

El Asma es la enfermedad crónica numero uno entre los niños en EU., teniendo 1.8 millones de visitas de Urgencia y 500,000 hospitalizaciones anualmente, la mitad de estos son niños menores de 15 anos. Frecuentemente los padres de un niño asmático o alérgico se sienten impotente, asustados y frustrados cuando su hijo esta en medio de un ataque y o aun antes de este. El asma en los niños puede causar fatiga, noches sin dormir, tensión e irritabilidad en los padres y hermanos, así como en el niño afectado. La calidad de vida de toda la familia disminuye. Hay maneras para lidiar con un niño asmático o crónicamente alérgico, que mejoran la calidad de vida de la familia al tratar estas enfermedades. La Fundación de Asma y Alergias de América, de Texas da estas recomendaciones.

Consejos para ensenar a su Nino como tomar sus Medicamentos Solo

Eventualmente, cada niño necesita aprender como tomar sus medicamentos para el asma por si mismo. Como padres ustedes y su medico deben juzgar cuando su hijo esta listo para asumir esta responsabilidad. Escuche las preocupaciones se su niño acerca de los medicamentos que esta tomando (todos los medicamentos tienen efectos secundarios o de algún tipo; todos los niños reaccionan diferente a los medicamentos.

Cambio Con Legislacion Affectaran Medicamentos de Asma

En 1987, bajo el Protocolo Montreal, una concordancia se hizo que permitiría los CFC's que siguieran ser usados para los medicamentos de asma, incluyendo albuterol, hasta que un gas alternativo y seguro se encontrara. En 1996, un gas seguro fue formado — gas tipo hydrofluoroalkanes o HFA's. Una regulación del FDA termina la manufactura y venta de todos los medicamentos de albuterol tipo CFC el 31 de Diciembre, 2008 y otro tipo de medicamentos que usan gas tipo CFC serán evidentemente eliminados. Que significa esto para pacientes con asma?

Que es Asma

Asma es la más crónica enfermedad que es incurable y afecta a los niños. Es la principal razón de falta al la escuela y trabajo. Más niñas que niños tienen asma y más afro-americano e hispanos tienen asma que los Caucásicos Americanos. Nadie aun sabe porque algunas personas tienen asma y otros no. Científicos piensan que una combinación genética o hereditaria y factores ambientales. Si uno o más de tus padres tienen asma, hay una buena posibilidad de que tú la tengas. Casi 70% de los que tienen asma también tienen asma alérgica. Esto significa que sus síntomas de asma comienzan debido a sus alergias. Otros tienen asma que es causada debido al ejercicio y algunos es debido a la combinación. Algunas personas tienen asma leve que significa que no tienen síntomas frecuentemente; otros tienen asma severa que significa que tienen síntomas la mayor parte del tiempo. Asma es una enfermedad crónica que significa que nunca se quitara pero puede ser controlada. Puede ser manejada o controlada por eliminando o evitando los factores o alergenos y irritantes que causan síntomas o episodios y mas aun siguiendo el plan de acción que receta el medico.

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