May is Peak Season for Asthma Sufferers
May is Asthma Awareness Month, and peak season for asthma and allergy sufferers. Approximately 26 million people in the U.S. are living with asthma, a common lifelong chronic illness. Unfortunately, the rate of asthma in children is higher in St. Mary’s County than Maryland state averages – one in every seven children in St. Mary’s County has asthma compared to one in 10 children for the state average. For many children, having asthma is like breathing through a straw, and not being able to breathe when they’re having an asthma attack.
Asthma is a disease that affects the lungs, causing repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. Although currently there is no cure for asthma, it is possible to manage it successfully to reduce asthma attacks. Successful asthma management includes knowing the warning signs of an attack, avoiding things that trigger attacks, and using asthma medication as recommended by your healthcare provider.
Asthma affects people of all ages and backgrounds. Certain factors may make it more likely for someone to suffer from asthma, such as a family history of asthma, allergies, or certain skin conditions like eczema. Asthma is one of the most common long-term diseases of children, but adults can have asthma, too. While it can be difficult to diagnose asthma, especially in children under age 5, your primary care physician can check the lungs using breathing tests. Your provider can also determine if there are allergies that may provoke asthma attacks.
Asthma attacks are best controlled by knowing the warning signs of an attack, staying away from things that provoke an attack, and taking long-term controller and rescue medications appropriately. Some of the most common triggers of asthma attacks are:
- Tobacco smoke
- Dust mites
- Outdoor air pollution
- Cockroach allergens
- Pets
- Mold
- Smoke from burning grass and wood
Other triggers, such as influenza (flu), colds, and sinus infections can also trigger asthma attacks. With your healthcare provider’s help, you can make a writtenasthma action plan, control your asthma, and improve your quality of life. Taking medication as prescribed by your healthcare provider is important in controlling asthma.
The health department’s Asthma Control Program home visiting initiative helps children with asthma between the ages of 2 and 18. An asthma nurse from the health department will conduct a free home visit and provide the child and his/her family asthma education, resources, and tips and tools to minimize asthma triggers in the home environment. This type of home-based intervention is proven to improve the quality of life for a child with asthma, decrease asthma-related emergency room visits, lower health care costs, and decrease missed days of school. Children can be referred for the asthma home visit by their health care provider, school nurse, hospital or family member.
For more information about the health department’s Asthma Control Program or to refer a child for a home visit, click here. For more information about asthma, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.