Don’t Ignore Asthma Attack Symptoms

Limit exposure to allergens; taking care of your asthma attack symptoms means protecting yourself and saving your family scary trips to the emergency room.

About half of all adults who have asthma are at risk of dangerous attacks because they haven’t taken the right precautions.

Taking care of yourself means knowing how to protect yourself and save your friends and family scary trips to the emergency room. Don’t ignore asthma attack symptoms creeping up.

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Signs you need to be more proactive

• Do you find yourself wheezing more than twice a week and grabbing your inhaler?
• Do you wake up with symptoms during the night?
• Are you avoiding stairs or exercise because you’re short of breath?

The most common mistake: ignoring allergies

Allergies to mold, dust, pollen, and dander affect about a third of adult asthma patients. Make sure you see an allergist to get tested for symptoms of allergic reactions. Then follow your allergist’s advice.

For example, if you are allergic to dander, you’ll do yourself a big favor if you stop sleeping with a pet. If you have had serious asthma attacks, you may need to give your pet away. That may be heartbreaking, but an asthma attack can take your life.

If you are allergic to mold, you may need to have your home inspected for mold and remove any lurking in the walls or basement. Household plants often have mold in their soil. On the other hand, English ivy, rubber plants, and peace lilies may reduce airborne toxins, including mold.

If you are allergic to dust, try to have other people dust and keep your house clean. You can also use a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter, designed to make sure dust doesn’t escape from the bag.

Running an air purifier, especially in your bedroom or an office where you spend lots of time, will help with any airborne allergy.

Certain foods — sulphur in dried apricots, for example — can set you off.

Talk to your doctor about allergy medications. Regular shots with a controlled amount of the allergen can help. Another option may be sublingual immunotherapy, when you take an allergen in the form of a tablet rather than a shot.

Another common mistake: ignoring other triggers

Some people keep a diary of asthma attack symptoms for several weeks and a checklist of possible triggers. Whenever you have asthma symptoms, think about what seemed to set them off and ask close friends or family if they have any ideas.

Intense exercise, especially in cold, dry air, can trigger an attack. That doesn’t mean you can’t go outdoors all winter. Wear a balaclava over your mouth to protect yourself, so your breath can heat and moisten the air you breathe.

If you are going through a hard time — a divorce, trouble at work, grief — be aware that strong emotions can be triggers for some people.

Any kind of smoke can irritate your lungs. Smoking always makes asthma worse, so get help if you need it to quit. Don’t permit smoking in your home or car. Choose smoke-free rooms in hotels. Also steer clear of wood smoke from fires or stoves, incense, or burning candles. Stay away from scented candles (and air fresheners).

Highly chlorinated pools can trigger wheezing and coughing. Gailen Marshall, MD, former editor in chief of the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, recommends that asthma patients stick to salt water swimming. If you do use a pool, shower thoroughly afterward. Special pool filters can use salt instead of chlorine.

If chlorine causes you problems, avoid using cleansers with bleach, especially indoors.

Some people react to common pain relievers like aspirin.

Don’t skip immunizations for pneumonia and flu

If you get the flu, your asthma symptoms are also likely to intensify for days or weeks. It’s important to get your flu shot in October, when flu season typically ramps up. If you miss the fall target, it’s still helpful to get a flu shot until March.

Asthma suffers run about twice the risk of pneumonia, a bacterial infection. Adullts should get a pneumonia shot (called Pneumovax), available year round, at least once every 10 years. If your asthma has gotten worse and you haven’t had a pneumonia vaccine for five years, consider another one.

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