ASTHMA CONTROL
Is your asthma under good control?
A new survey suggest that more than 70 percent of people who say they have mild to moderate asthma have no idea whether they are on the correct treatment.
Is your asthma under good control? A new survey suggest that more than 70 percent of people who say they have mild to moderate asthma have no idea whether they are on the correct treatment.
Asthma treatment guidelines set forth by the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program call for just the right amount of medicine--not too much, not too little. Many patients don’t ever appropriately cut back once it is under control.
“Well I really didn’t realize how severe it was until I was unable to walk, ah, I had to stop I had to rest constantly.” At the age of 61, Tina McCants has only recently been diagnosed with asthma. “The lung specialists finally put me on an inhaler that I take twice in the morning and before I go to bed. And if I had a problem during the day I will take it.”
Tina is controlled now…treated based upon strict guidelines that a new survey shows the vast majority of patients are not aware of. In fact, nearly half are unsure whether their doctors are prescribing their treatments based on those guidelines. This is why the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology is introducing the stepwise campaign.
Dr. Clifford Bassett is an allergist and spokesperson with the AAAI who says, “The point of the stepwise campaign is to get the right medication for the right individual on the right day. Individual who have asthma may have intermittent, or they may have persistent asthma. The idea is to take the right medication for an individual and step down to the lowest possible dosage as their symptoms subside and improve with good treatment.”
A new survey by the AAAI shows less than half of all asthma patients, in New York and other cities, discuss with their physicians about the advantages and disadvantages of taking different types of asthma medicines. The campaign is urging all patients to open the dialogue, and ask their doctors whether they’re on the least amount of medicine necessary…but enough to make sure they are under good control.
Another new study also out by the AAAI shows parents of asthmatics don’t know how to correctly control asthma triggers in the environment. The AAAI suggests that they discuss with the physician on how to properly take actions to reduce or remove these triggers.
“So the bottom line is to educate people to treat themselves and educate individuals who suffer with asthma to talk with their doctor when they have problems and to step up to medications when they need it for their asthma control and to step down to the lowest dosage for that they need for effective asthma management,” says Dr. Bassett.
That discussion her doctor has made a big difference for Tina. “It has definitely gotten better. I am able to walk without losing my breath. I am able to climb stairs,” she says.