Archive for the ‘Asthma’ Category

TURNER: Spencer from Seattle is next to join us here on the Asthma Education Network. Welcome Spencer. SPENCER: Hi. Thank you. TURNER: And what's your issue with asthma you'd like to talk about? SPENCER: Well, thanks for taking my call. I have a five year old son ... Full story

Common asthma triggers Andrew: What are some of the general triggers that people have of what we might commonly call asthma attacks? Dr. Shapiro: There's a whole variety. We talked about infections. Viral infections in particular are a big problem for people. Also, bacterial infections like sinus disease; sinusitis is a trigger for many individuals. And then allergens, house dust mites and pet dander ... Full story

TURNER: Elizabeth from Anacortes. Welcome, Elizabeth. ELIZABETH: Hi. TURNER: How are you? ELIZABETH: Well, I'm doing pretty good tonight, thanks. TURNER: Great. What's the issue with asthma you'd like to talk about? ELIZABETH: Well, I'm using my inhalers four ... Full story

Andrew: Dr. Shapiro, would you please explain to us what anti-inflammatory drugs are and how they help prevent what we commonly call an asthma attack? Dr. Shapiro: Bronchodilating medicines like albuterol will relax the muscle in the bronchial tube, but not take care of the underlying swelling and puffiness and mucous production. That's what the anti-inflammatory agents do. And they need to be ... Full story

Andrew: Dr. Ayars, maybe you can help decipher for us now what's developing with treatments, and maybe the new class of treatments that people with asthma have heard about, the leukotrienes. What are they, and what do they mean to asthmatics? Maybe you could also tell me even including references about certain drugs that people are hearing about on TV, Accolate, ... Full story

Deb: I have a 4-1/2 year-old daughter. She developed asthma in November of 1997. Since that time she's been on Cromolyn three times daily, and her triggers are upper respiratory infections, with or without secondary bacterial infections. Lately she's required three days of steroids along with albuterol during that time to clear up her lungs. She's also allergic to milk products and highly allergic to ... Full story

Andrew: So the worst that I can imagine would be a woman who knows she has moderate to severe asthma, goes into her pregnancy, and maybe also smokes. Dr. Schatz: Right. And there's no question that's a terribly bad combination, and one of the difficulties. I mean, you would think that women with asthma, or anybody with ... Full story

Andrew: We've certainly covered so much ground here talking about what asthma is and why asthma has been on the increase. I might ask you, though, to define asthma a little bit for us. What's going on in our lungs--or airway--when we have asthma? Is it just swelling? Dr. Shapiro: It's swelling of the air tubes and tightening of the muscles, and increased production ... Full story

Rick: What about someone who seems to be keeping their asthma in good control, and yet they don't have the energy to exercise? Dr. Redding: Think of exercise as being a challenge to the lungs. So if you sit at rest and watch TV you really don't challenge your lungs very ... Full story

Andrew: We talked earlier about National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines that I guess came out last year, after a lot of work, by yourself and other leaders in the asthma field. Why were these guidelines necessary, and how well are they understood? Dr. Shapiro: The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute is a major branch of the NIH. This branch has done ... Full story