Did you know that 1 in 10 adults and 1 in 11 children are currently living with asthma here in New Mexico?
The New Mexico Department of Health reports asthma is one of the leading causes of pediatric hospitalizations and missed days from school. In 2013, New Mexicans made 8,568 visits to non-federal in-state emergency departments for uncontrolled asthma, costing New Mexico Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs an estimated $1.9 million per year.
Asthma is a disease that affects your lungs. It affects adults, but it is the most common long-term disease of children. Each day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30,000 people have an asthma attack, 1,000 are admitted to the hospital, and 11 people die. Asthma causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and early morning or nighttime coughing.
Most people don’t die from asthma, but the exact cause of asthma is unknown and there is currently no cure. The good news, however, is asthma can be controlled through care which combines patient education, medication management, and routine visits to a healthcare provider to assess and monitor asthma severity and control.
It is important that people with asthma be aware of environmental factors and other health conditions, such as respiratory infections and allergies, which can make asthma symptoms worse. Identifying and avoiding both indoor and outdoor environmental exposures, such as tobacco smoke, pollens, molds, dust, animal dander, cockroaches, and dust mites, is an important part of comprehensive asthma care.
An asthma attack happens in your body’s airways, which are the paths that carry air to your lungs. During an asthma attack, the sides of the airways in your lungs swell, and the airways shrink. The attack may include coughing, chest tightness, wheezing and trouble breathing.
Asthma can be hard to diagnose, but regular physical checkups that include checking lung function and allergies can help your doctor make the right diagnosis. During a checkup, he or she will ask whether you cough a lot, especially at night, and whether your breathing problems are worse after physical activity or during a particular time of year. Health-care providers will also ask about other symptoms such as chest tightness, wheezing, and colds that last more than 10 days and if anyone in your family has or has had asthma or other breathing
Your doctor will help you make an asthma action plan and stick to it. He or she may recommend a combination of medication, environmental changes and changes in behavior. Not everyone with asthma has the same needs, and your needs may change as you get older, so it’s important to get regular check-ups.
The New Mexico Department of Health Asthma Control Program recommends that every asthma patient have:
· Planned asthma visits to a health care provider every 1-6 months, depending on severity.
· An evaluation of asthma severity and level of control to determine the appropriate treatment choices.
· An Asthma Action Plan which is reviewed and updated at each visit.
· Asthma self-management education, which should include information about identifying and avoiding environmental triggers of asthma
For more information see http://nmhealth.org/about/erd/eheb/ap/