You know the signs: shortness of breath. A tightness in your chest. Coughing spasms. You’re about to have an asthma attack. While this chronic condition varies from person to person, one thing doesn’t change; you don’t have to live like this anymore.
All of our centers can properly diagnose the severity of your asthma to make sure you get the right treatment.
Take a deep breath. If you suffer from episodic asthma, usually a bronchiodilator will do the trick. A bronchodilator works by relaxing the constriction in the lungs; dilating the bronchi and bronchioles of the lungs, allowing for more airflow.
Both bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory inhalers can help you control mild symptoms. These inhalers will decrease swelling in the lungs, decrease constriction and excess mucus, and will help prevent long-term damage to the lungs. This damage can result in permanent loss of lung function.
The more persistent your asthma, the stronger your inhalers and bronchodilators need to be. Are you using one that’s strong enough?
Severe asthmatics need stronger anti-inflammatory inhalers and long acting bronchodilators, but they may also need some other medications like oral steroids and Xolair.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, is a group of lung diseases that causes breathing difficulties and airflow obstruction. Severe asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis are included in this group, and are most commonly diagnosed in people between ages 50 and 74, current and former smokers, people with a history of severe asthma or a family history of COPD, and those with long-term exposure to airborne irritants.
Symptoms of COPD include:
To learn more about this pulmonary condition, medication options currently available and referral options for this condition, contact us today!