What Is Asthma?
Asthma (Az-muh) is achronic disease that affects your airways. The
airways are the tubes that carryair in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of yourairways are inflamed (swollen). So, if you have asthma, youshould see your
doctor regularly. You will need to learn what things cause yourasthma
symptoms and how to avoid them. Your doctor will also prescribemedicines to keep your asthma under control. Taking care of your asthmais an important part of your life. If your asthma is not wellcontrolled, you are likely to have symptoms that can make you miss school orwork and keep you from doing things you enjoy. Asthma is closely linked toallergies. Children with a family history of allergy and asthma are more likelyto have asthma. What Are the Signsand Symptoms of Asthma? Common asthma symptomsinclude: Coughing. Spirometry is also used tocheck your asthma over time to see how you are doing. If your spirometry resultsare normal but you have asthma symptoms, your doctor will probably want you tohave other tests to see what else could be causing your symptoms. A test to see how your airways reactto exercise. This is important becausethe severity of your asthma will determine how your asthma should be treated. In severe asthma, your physicalactivity is likely to be limited. Anyone with asthma can havea severe attack—even people who have intermittent or mild persistent asthmaHow Is AsthmaTreated?Your doctor can work withyou to decide about your treatment goals and what you need to do to controlyour asthma to achieve these goals. Avoiding things that bring on yourasthma symptoms or make your symptoms worse. Doing so can reduce the amount ofmedicine you need to
control your asthma. Using asthma medicines. Monitoring your asthma so that youcan recognize when your symptoms are getting worse and respond quickly toprevent or stop an asthma attack. You should be free of asthmasymptoms. These plans will tell youwhat
medicines you should take and other things you should do to keep yourasthma under control. They are used to help controlmoderate and severe asthma and to prevent nighttime symptoms. Over time, your doctor mayneed to make changes in your asthma medicine. You may need to increase yourdose, lower your dose, or try a combination of medicines. Be sure to work withyour doctor to find the best treatment for your asthma. The goal is to use theleast amount of
medicine necessary to control your asthma. Most asthma medicines areinhaled. It is important to know how to use your inhaler correctly. Your doctor will tell youhow and when to use your peak flow meter and how to use your medicines based onthe results. If your peak flow meter shows that your breathing is gettingworse, you should follow your emergency asthma action plan. Then you can usethe peak flow meter to see how your airways are responding to the medicine. Ask your doctor about howyou can take care of your asthma. If you suspect that your child has asthma orthat your child's asthma is not well controlled, take your child to a doctorfor an exam and testing. If your child has asthma, you will need to go to thedoctor for regular followup visits and to make sure that your child uses themedicines properly.
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