Asthma Guidelines Urge Better Day-to-Day Care

Aug 31, 01:22 AM

Current Headlines: WASHINGTON - Breathing easier without limiting activities is the goal of new government guidelines that urge more attention to asthma sufferers' day-to-day symptoms, not just their severe attacks.

About 22 million Americans have asthma, and guidelines updated Wednesday by the National Institutes of Health stress the importance of adjusting therapy until their asthma is under good control.

"Asthma control is achievable for nearly every patient," said Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, the director of NIH's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. "Patients really should accept nothing less."

The guidelines reflect a shift already under way, as specialists seek to teach patients that a flare-up isn't the only sign of trouble. Someone who only avoids an attack by giving up exercise, or who thinks it's normal to wake up at night coughing, doesn't have asthma well-controlled.

And the recommendations come at a key time: Asthma hospitalizations peak in September and October, said Dr. Homer Boushey of the University of California, San Francisco, a guideline co-author. Patients aren't as good at taking asthma-prevention medication during the summer and can be caught by surprise when schoolchildren start bringing home fall viruses.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease caused by inflammation inside airways that in turn makes them super-sensitive, narrowing in response to irritants. Symptoms include wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing.

There is no cure, but daily medications are very effective at reducing inflammation and preventing flareups. Yet asthma kills about 4,000 people a year and causes almost half a million hospitalizations.

Originally published by Associated Press.

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