| Your health and you Asthma guidelines updated |
By Tim Ballweg
The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) recently released
the first major set of guidelines for the management of asthma in nearly a decade. The
guidelines focus on four areas: measures to assess and monitor asthma, patient
education, control of environmental factors and other conditions that can worsen
asthma and medications.
If you have asthma and you are not sure that your breathing is as good as it could be,
you should consider scheduling an appointment with your doctor or asthma specialist.
At this appointment you will have a chance to have your lung function measured using a
test called spirometry.
An asthma appointment should also include a discussion on understanding what
asthma is and why asthma triggers are important to your total asthma control. Learning
how to use your asthma medications correctly while minimizing any possible side
effects is another topic to discuss.
With so many different types of asthma inhaler devices available, asthma education
becomes very important to maximize your asthma control. Lastly, the NAEPP panel
recommends patients receive a written asthma plan. Using a plan at home allows each
asthma patient to follow an individualized action plan that guides their decision making
when they are treating an asthma flare-up at home or at school.
The Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of
Asthma, 2007, can be viewed at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthama/index.htm.
Tim Ballweg is the Asthma Educator for Group Health Cooperative of South Central
Wisconsin
the first major set of guidelines for the management of asthma in nearly a decade. The
guidelines focus on four areas: measures to assess and monitor asthma, patient
education, control of environmental factors and other conditions that can worsen
asthma and medications.
If you have asthma and you are not sure that your breathing is as good as it could be,
you should consider scheduling an appointment with your doctor or asthma specialist.
At this appointment you will have a chance to have your lung function measured using a
test called spirometry.
An asthma appointment should also include a discussion on understanding what
asthma is and why asthma triggers are important to your total asthma control. Learning
how to use your asthma medications correctly while minimizing any possible side
effects is another topic to discuss.
With so many different types of asthma inhaler devices available, asthma education
becomes very important to maximize your asthma control. Lastly, the NAEPP panel
recommends patients receive a written asthma plan. Using a plan at home allows each
asthma patient to follow an individualized action plan that guides their decision making
when they are treating an asthma flare-up at home or at school.
The Expert Panel Report 3: Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of
Asthma, 2007, can be viewed at www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthama/index.htm.
Tim Ballweg is the Asthma Educator for Group Health Cooperative of South Central
Wisconsin