Facts about Asthma page 4
From information provided by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institues, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, and National Institutes of Health. NIH Publication # 90-2339 October 1990.
What can asthma patients reasonably expect from treatment?
With proper treatment most people with asthma can expect to achieve:
~a full night's sleep with no awakening due to coughing.
~a clear chest in the morning.
~the ability to go to work or school regularly.
~full physical activity with a normal life-style.
~no emergency room visits or hospitalizations, and
~no significant side effects from medication.
In treating asthma, physicians aim for long-term suppression of the airway inflammation that triggers asthma attacks. Because asthma is now understood to be an inflammatory disease, and not simply abnormal airway constriction, treatment is aimed at reducing the inflammation in the long run as well as opening up the airways when they do constrict.
Can people with asthma exercise?
Generally, people with asthma can and should exercise when they are feeling well. Special care may be needed when the air is cold or during a pollen season. It is always best to start slowly and build up, and it is essential to consult one's physician before starting any type of regular exercise. Often, using an inhaled adrenergic bronchodilator before exercise can prevent exercise-induced symptoms and allow people to be fully active. People with asthma should not assume that they must limit physical activity simply because they have the disease--after all, some Olympic athletes have severe asthma. People should not be restricted from physical activity simply because they have asthma.
Are scientists doing research that could help people with asthma?
Researchers are working on several fronts to solve some of the many unanswered questions about asthma. At the National Institutes of Health, research on asthma is conducted and supported by two units, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Projects supported by these agencies focus on identifying the basic abnormality that causes asthma, on developing better drug treatments and emergency measures, and on educating people with asthma to help themselves.
Research supported by NHLBI has established that education programs can greatly reduce asthma hospitalizations and disability. In these programs, patients are trained in asthma self-management techniques while under medical supervision. Building on this and other research-derived knowledge, the NHLBI started the National Asthma Education Program in March 1989. This national effort aims to increase public awareness of asthma as a serious chronic disease, to ensure proper diagnosis of asthma, and to allow effective control of the disease by promoting a partnership between patients, physicians, and other health care professionals through modern treatment and education programs.
For more information on asthma:
National Asthma Education Program
Information Center
4733 Bethesda Avenue, Suite 530
Bethesda, MD 20814
(301)951-3260
Ask for the asthma reading and resource list, which gives many sources for more specific information on various aspects of the disease.
Beginning Facts about Asthma
Facts about Asthma page 2
Facts about Asthma page 3
Facts about Asthma page 4
Nocturnal Asthma
Managing your child's Asthma
Peak flow meters
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