| 6 Tips To Manage Asthma  "I thought my asthma was under control. . . . But I get winded after walking up a flight of stairs, so I just avoid taking the stairs. Now I know I need to go back to my doctor." —Woman living with asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects nearly 25 million Americans and about 300 million people worldwide. Asthma has no cure. However, with today's knowledge and treatments, most people who have asthma can lead a normal, active life. Partnering with your doctor in managing your asthma is one of the key actions you can take to get, and keep, your asthma under control. You and your doctor can work together to manage your asthma by following the six steps below, which are drawn from the latest guidelines on how to improve asthma care and control for all Americans. - See your doctor.
Visit your primary care physician, pediatrician, allergist, pulmonologist, or other health care professional so he or she can assess the severity of your asthma and work with you on a plan to manage it so you can breathe more easily.
- Make sure your asthma is under control.
Asthma can change over time, so see your doctor regularly to adjust your treatment if needed.
- Ask your doctor for a written asthma action plan.
Your written asthma action plan will remind you what to do every day to prevent asthma symptoms. It also will tell you how to control your asthma triggers, and what to do if an asthma attack happens. Share copies of the written asthma action plan with family members, caregivers, and others, such as school nurses, who can help.
Download an asthma action plan form.
- Use inhaled corticosteroids.
Research has shown that the best way to control asthma is to take inhaled corticosteroids every day, long term, to reduce the underlying inflammation and swelling that can bring on an asthma attack. Ask your doctor if inhaled corticosteroids are the best medication for you, and then take your medication(s) as directed. Ask your doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or asthma educator to show you how to use the medications the right way, so that they can work better. In addition, make sure you know:
- The names of each of your medicines and what they do
- How much to take
- When to take them
- How to take them
Learn more about asthma medications and how they help control asthma. If you have any questions, talk with your doctor.
- Tell your doctor what makes your symptoms worse.
Things in your environment at work, at home, and elsewhere could be triggering your asthma, and you might not even know it. Triggers may include allergens (such as dust mites, cockroaches, pollen, mold, rats, mice, and pets), irritants (such as cigarette smoke, perfumes, and pesticide sprays), and having a cold or the flu.
Talk to your health care professional about your triggers, have him or her put those triggers into an asthma action plan, and ask him or her to help you take steps to make sure that your environment has fewer triggers or to reduce contact with them. For example, during allergy season, try to limit the time that you spend outdoors during the late morning and afternoon, because these are the times when pollen and some mold spore counts are highest. If animal dander triggers your asthma symptoms, keep pets with fur or hair out of your home or bedroom.
Refer to the Asthma Action Plan to learn more about common asthma triggers and how to control them.
- Watch your asthma and treat symptoms fast.
Write down your symptoms in a diary to see how well you are controlling your asthma. Make sure to schedule followup visits with your doctor so that he or she can help you. Use your symptom diary to help identify your asthma symptoms and what makes them worse. Some common asthma symptoms are:
- Coughing. Coughing from asthma often is worse at night or early in the morning.
- Wheezing. Wheezing has a whistling or squeaky sound that occurs when you breathe.
- Chest tightness. This may feel like something is squeezing or sitting on your chest.
- Shortness of breath. Some people who have asthma say they can't catch their breath or they feel out of breath.
Be prepared to respond quickly to the warning signs of an asthma attack. Your doctor also may give you a handheld peak flow meter so you can spot any worsening of your asthma control even before symptoms appear.
View a sample symptom diary in the guide, So You Have Asthma.
New NHLBI asthma guide points the way to improving asthma care and control Who can make the difference between a life controlled by asthma, and a life in which asthma is under control? You can, whether you're a patient, a health care provider, an employer, or one of many people who knows someone with the disease. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's National Asthma Control Initiative (NACI) shows you the way in its new Take Action: Stop Asthma Today! guide. The guide provides specific actions that individuals and groups can take to help improve asthma care and control, whether for themselves or their community. | When you read through it, you'll learn about: - Asthma's toll on the population and our health care system
- Hints, strategies, and tips on how to control asthma, today
- NHLBI's Physician Asthma Care Education Program
- NHLBI's tools and publications that you can use to help control asthma in your community
The guide is available in both downloadable format and hard copy, and would make an excellent addition to a waiting-room table or a pharmacy magazine rack, or a great handout to potential partners in the fight to help those with asthma breathe more easily. | And, if you're not already a subscriber to NACI's free, quarterly e-Newsletter, please sign up. It will bring breaking news from the asthma arena directly to your inbox, providing you with ways to improve the lives of people with asthma in your neighborhood. Popular asthma resources - Asthma Action Plan
- My Asthma Wallet Card
- Diseases and Conditions Index (DCI): Asthma, (en español), video
- Search for clinical trials on asthma
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