Archive for July, 2009

Asthma is a condition that is chronic in most cases; it involves the airways that you breathe through. As a result of the narrowing that occurs, you feel short of breath or you develop a cough or even wheeze. This may occur during exercise, it may occur following colds, and last longer than your neighbor's cold, or it may even awaken you during sleep. Asthma isn't ... Full story

Andrew: We had another e-mail question from Rob here in Milton, Washington. "Hi, Dr. Shapiro" he writes, "How often can a 2-year-old use Pediapred? And when do side effects come into play?" Dr. Shapiro: Pediapred is another oral steroid like the Prelone we were talking about, and like Prednisone. In a two-year-old it's not unusual if there's asthma, for every virus to cause ... Full story

Pam: I'm in my mid-40s and I have been asthma-free for as long as I can remember. I allegedly had it as a child, but I have no memories of it. About a year ago I went to see the doctor with difficulty breathing. I was very sick. I thought I had some kind of respiratory flu, and I went in and I announced to ... Full story

TURNER: And, going to Kennewick, we have Kyna joining us. Welcome to the program. KYNA: Thanks. Well, I have a daughter that's five and she's had asthma maybe since she's been about three. And one of the things that she's severely allergic to is peanut ... Full story

Andrew: Dr Shapiro, please explain for us, what a peak-flow meter is and its value. Dr. Shapiro: There are a number of different models, but they are a plastic tube with a little scale and stylus, and you blow into it hard and deflect the stylus and get numbers. You have certain numbers that are right for you--personal best is what we usually talk about--what's the best that ... Full story

Andrew: We have a two-part e-mail question that comes from Mark in Illinois. First, how do people get asthma? And is there a genetic connection? Dr. Shapiro: The two questions are really connected. We believe that people get asthma because they have a genetic predisposition to having overly reactive muscles in the bronchial tubes and overly sensitive bronchial tubes. And then if people who have that genetic predisposition ... Full story

How does a patient know what is mild, moderate or severe asthma? Dr. Shapiro: There are lots of different scales, so there's not really a gold standard. Some of the use of those terms comes from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute guidelines that were last updated in 1997. Generally, mild asthma is considered a disease where people might need a bronchodilator--we ... Full story