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 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 health care 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. Although it can be difficult to diagnose asthma, especially in children under age five, a primary care physician can check the lungs using breathing tests. Health care providers also can determine if there are allergies that might 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 also can trigger asthma attacks. With a health care provider’s help, a person can make a written asthma action plan, control her asthma, and improve her quality of life. This includes taking medication as prescribed by health care provider.
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 a child and his family asthma education, resources, as well as 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.