Q: It's spring. What should people with asthma do to minimize the effects of all those airborne asthma triggers?
A: Springtime is a particularly problematic time for many people with asthma. Most of the difficulty comes from seasonal-type allergies. The association between allergies and asthma seems quite clear. About 70 percent of people with asthma have allergies (a combination of seasonal and perennial), and about 35 percent of people with allergies have asthma. Springtime is a particularly bad time of year because of the start of pollination, and the growing grasses and trees.
The best offense is a good defense. It is very important this time of year to use the controller medications (usually the inhaled anti-inflammatory medications that treat the underlying condition) regularly – as prescribed by your doctor. Also, it is very important to have your reliever medications (those medication that treat the signs and symptoms of respiratory disease) easily accessible. The nose and sinuses are very important in humidifying and cleaning air for the lungs. Therefore, if you have acute or chronic sinus allergies, you might want to talk with your practitioner about inhaled anti-inflammatories and/or some of the newer antihistamine agents which might help both your sinus allergies and asthma.
Asthma trigger avoidance is another very good approach to use – if you know which offenders give you trouble. Most people don't know what actually triggers their asthma. There are ways to help asthmatics identify their personal asthma triggers by using a peak flow meter, an asthma diary, and controlled exposure to potential troublemakers. But, it is very important to only undertake this type of experimentation with the prior knowledge, consent, and direction of your medical team. Exposure to potential asthma triggers could bring on an asthma attack. |
