Asthma
Tanner Clinic’s skilled providers in our Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, ENT and Family Medicine and Pediatrics Departments offer asthma treatments to help you breath easier.
WHAT IS ASTHMA?
Asthma is a chronic respiratory condition that affects the airways in the lungs, making breathing difficult. It is a common condition that can vary in severity from mild to severe and can impact people of all ages. Understanding this is crucial for managing and living with the condition effectively.
Causes and Triggers: It is primarily characterized by inflammation of the airways, which become sensitive to various irritants and triggers. Common triggers include allergens (such as pollen, dust mites, and pet dander), respiratory infections, tobacco smoke, air pollution, cold air, and exercise. In some cases, it can also be hereditary.
Symptoms: The hallmark symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. These symptoms can vary in intensity and frequency. During an asthma attack, the muscles surrounding the airways tighten, and the lining of the airways swells, causing reduced airflow.
Diagnosis: Healthcare providers typically perform lung function tests, such as spirometry and peak flow measurements. They may also consider a patient’s medical history, family history, and symptoms. Allergy tests can help identify specific triggers.
Treatment: Asthma is a manageable condition, and treatment aims to control symptoms, prevent asthma attacks, and improve overall lung function. Common treatments include bronchodilators (to relax the airway muscles) and anti-inflammatory medications (such as inhaled corticosteroids). Long-term control medications help reduce airway inflammation and prevent symptoms.
Management: Successful management involves understanding and avoiding triggers, following a prescribed treatment plan, and monitoring symptoms regularly. Patients often use peak flow meters at home to measure lung function and identify early signs of worsening asthma.
Emergency Action Plan: Individuals should develop an asthma action plan in consultation with their healthcare provider. This plan outlines steps to take in case of an attack, including when to use rescue inhalers or seek immediate medical attention.
Lifestyle: Lifestyle factors play a role in management. Patients are advised to quit smoking, avoid exposure to secondhand smoke, maintain a healthy weight, and exercise regularly while taking precautions to prevent exercise-induced symptoms.
In summary, asthma is a chronic respiratory condition characterized by inflammation of the airways, which results in symptoms like wheezing, coughing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath. With proper diagnosis, treatment, and management, individuals with asthma can lead healthy and active lives, minimizing the impact of this condition on their daily activities and overall well-being.
HOW IS ASTHMA DIAGNOSED?
A doctor may use a few different ways of testing for asthma. These include:
- Taking a detailed medical history
- A physical exam
- Lung function tests
- Chest or sinus X-ray
The doctor will look at the results from these tests, decide what type of asthma you have, and develop a treatment plan based on the type and severity of your symptoms.
Do you or someone you know struggle with severe asthma?
Severe asthma is a complex and management can be challenging. While many patients with severe asthma respond to high-dose inhaled corticosteroids in combination with a long-acting beta-agonist, there remains a significant subset of patients that require oral corticosteroids to control symptoms.
What are some alternative therapies?
Alternative therapies are needed to help reduce the need for continuous oral corticosteroids; however, there are currently very few effective options. Several new alternatives to oral corticosteroids have been evaluated in severe asthma as add-on to conventional therapy. These include macrolide antibiotics, omalizumab, tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors, cytokine receptor antagonists, and bronchial thermoplasty. The challenge with these entities is determining the appropriate phenotype of severe asthma where effectiveness is demonstrated, given the significant heterogeneity of the disease. Therefore, there is a crucial need to better understand the mechanisms and pathophysiology of severe asthma so more effective immunomodulators and biologic therapies can emerge.
Asthma Management
The primary goal of asthma management is to achieve and maintain control of the disease in order to prevent exacerbations (abrupt and/or progressive worsening of asthma symptoms that often require immediate medical attention and/or the use of oral steroid therapy) and reduce the risk of morbidity and mortality. Other goals of therapy are to minimize the frequency and severity of asthma symptoms, decrease the need for reliever medications, normalize physical activity, and improve lung function as well as overall quality of life.
Our Providers
Schedule an
Appointment
Tanner Clinic makes it easy to schedule an appointment
You can live chat with an appointment representative, call us over-the-phone for appointment booking, or click below to discover which option is the most convenient for you!
