Skip to main content

HomeWhat is Asthma

What is Asthma Asthma Triggers
Management and Treatment Asthma Asthma Magement - CDC
Asthma Main Page   Lung Disease Main Page
Respiratory Lung Disease
Main Page

           


 
 

What are we doing to
make things better?


In
response to the worsening problem of asthma, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched the National Asthma Control Program (NACP), a public health response to control asthma in the United States.

Since its establishment in 1999, the NACP has been working to ensure that people with asthma get the care and education they need to manage the disease effectively.

The
program currently funds asthma control programs in 34 states, Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, serving 85% of the US population with asthma. Since it began, the NACP has funded states which include 91% of the US population with asthma. 

                

Keep people with asthma away from dust, dust mites, and smoke

  • Use zippered "allergen resistant" mattress and pillow covers to keep dust mites out of sleeping spaces.

  • Keep pets outdoors or away from sleeping areas; clear hairs from carpets and furniture.
  • Quit smoking, or smoke only outside your home and car. Always keep tobacco smoke away from children.
  • Change bed sheets often.
  • Keep people with asthma out of a room while vacuuming or dusting.

Get medical advice and follow the doctor's instructions

  • Get emergency medical
  • Get medical attention for breathing problems.
  • care for bad attacks of shortness of breath or wheezing.
  • Take all prescribed medication, either to prevent attacks or to lessen the symptoms.
  • Find out what allergies you have so you can avoid these potential asthma trigger.

 






What is Asthma?


Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways. Your airways are tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways become sore and swollen. That makes them very sensitive, and they may react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating. When your airways react, they get narrower and your lungs get less air.

Symptoms of asthma include

  • Wheezing
  • Coughing, especially early in the morning or at night
  • Chest tightness
  • Shortness of breath

Not all people who have asthma have these symptoms. Having these symptoms doesn't always mean that you have asthma. Your doctor will diagnose asthma based on lung function tests, your medical history, and a physical exam. You may also have allergy tests.

When your asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it's called an asthma attack. Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care, and they can be fatal.

Asthma is treated with two kinds of medicines: quick-relief medicines to stop asthma symptoms and long-term control medicines to prevent symptoms.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

 

How often do people with asthma see their doctors?

 

People with asthma need proper medical care to manage their disease. When their asthma is controlled with routine care and education, they are less likely to visit emergency departments and urgent care facilities for asthma-related treatments. When people with asthma make emergency visits to medical professionals, we know there’s a good chance their asthma isn’t under control.

Children see medical professionals for asthma care more often than adults. This includes:

  • Routine doctor visits
  • Emergency department visits
  • Urgent care visits

    Nearly 1 in 5 children with asthma went to an emergency department for care in 2009.

    Race and ethnicity make a difference:

  • Black adults are hospitalized for asthma more often than white adults.
  • Black and Hispanic children visit emergency departments for asthma care more often than white children.
                                                                                                          


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 






Page last reviewed: March 27, 2014