Asthma Fact Sheet

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a respiratory condition that causes breathing to become harder to do. This is a chronic
disease that focuses on the airways in the lungs. Bronchial tubes help allow the lungs to fill up
with air and the ability to breathe it out. Many people experience allergic asthma, which means
asthma symptoms, worsens in an environment that has asthma triggers. When the symptoms are
triggered the airways become inflamed, swollen, and the muscles all around are tightened. The
reasons of this happening are usual traced back to allergies or family history. There is no cure
for asthma.

How common is Asthma?

Asthma is very common; millions of children are suffering from it. Before a child turns 5 years
old, a large amount of these children develop asthma. There are more the 3 million people
suffering from asthma every year.

What are the signs of Asthma?

There are 6 different types of asthma:

• Allergic asthma is when allergy symptoms take place. When there is mold, roaches, pollen and
pet dander. The food a person eats can also contribute to having this happen. There can be
sensitivity to the food.

• Asthma without allergies is when asthma happens when allergies are not causing the
symptoms. This occurs when asthma appears by way of an upper repertory infection. This
can be considered a cold, flu, and rhinovirus. When cold or flu symptoms appear people
are prescribed to take a short time using inhaled corticosteroids. This can be used for 10 –
14 days.

• Aspirin Exacerbated Respiratory Disease is when a person has sensitivity to aspirin. Using
aspirin a person can develop symptoms of sneezing and a stuffy nose. There is wheezing
and a difficulty in breathing follows. The best way to help these symptoms go away is by
aspirin desensitization. With incremental doses of aspirin the body will desensitize.

• Exercise induced asthma is when a person pushes themselves physically. There will be
symptoms of coughing, chest tightness, or difficulty breathing. A person is better after
stopping.
• Cough variant is when a person has a dry hacking cough. This can happen when a person
is asleep or awake. This happens to children and also adults. The best way to help a
person is by using inhaled corticosteroids. Vitamin D is also another approach to help with
this.

• Occupational asthma is happening a person has symptoms at work. There is something in

the environment. This can be traced to smoke or inhaled irritants like chlorine. An allergy
plays no part. The trigger must be figured out. A corticosteroid inhaler can help with
symptoms. Pescatore has also been proven to help too.

Is There Help Available?

An allergist can confirm the condition by examining a person’s medical history and performing
breathing tests. The tests reveal just how well the lungs are functioning.

These breathing tests include:

Spirometry test - taking deep breaths into something called a sensor, which helps in measuring
the amount of air a person’s lungs can hold and the speed in which the air is inhaled and exhaled.
This concludes the severity of asthma. There is estimation about how well a treatment is
working.

Allergy test – the focus is treating allergies that asthma can cause. The treatment which can be
administered figures out the triggers of asthma to help avoid being affected by the symptoms.

What about Treatment?

There is no cure presently for asthma. It is a life – long condition. With specific types of
treatment to help control the symptoms of asthma. Having an allergist approval, certain things
can be prescribed to minimize the frequency of the suffering. The suggested forms of treatment
from an allergist include:

• Bronchodilators have the ability to relieve asthma symptoms in a short time. This relaxes the
muscles than are around the narrowed airways. The children with mild cases of asthma will need
this medicine only once and a while.

• Nebulizers are used when compressing air to change the delivery of medication. They type
of the medication goes from being in the form of a liquid to a fine spay that is inhaled by
using a mask or mouthpiece. When a child needs a face-mask to help them it needs to be
placed snug around the face. This is considered a good option to use when a child may
have trouble with handheld devices.

• Metered-dose inhalers are a liquid or fine powder type of medications. This can be
combined with the air that is breathed into the lungs. The effectiveness happens when a
spacer or face-mask is used. The best time to administer this is when a child is awake and
not upset to the point of crying. It is strongly suggested that this be sprayed into the air
before ever using it or after it has been unused for a long time.

What about School?

The conditions of asthma are one of the major reason children are absent at school. Over more
than 13 million days of school are missed on a yearly basis. There are fewer school days missed
when the symptoms of asthma are controlled. Keeping children healthy is a high priority when it
relates to attending school. The best way for a family to enhance the chances of their child for a
successful school year are by passing along important information. Giving all the facts of the
history of asthma with the child is beneficial. The understanding if the child has the ability to
manage asthma independently. The information needs to be available of how to reach the family
or getting in touch with the family doctor. These are precautions that can be taken for treatment
of this condition during any off-site activities, such as field trips. The knowing of rules in school
for kids old enough to handle asthma care (can kids keep an inhaler on hand or do they go the
health office to use it?) The proper people to handle asthma care if the child isn't old enough to
take care of monitoring and treatment.

Tips for Parents

Use inhaled corticosteroids if asthma persistent

Create a written action plan to give caregivers the knowledge of what to do daily to control your
asthma, and how to handle symptoms or asthma attacks and when to get medical attention.

Have a doctor to assess asthma severity during the first visit to figure out what the best treatment
is needed to get the asthma under control.

Keep an eye on how effective the child's asthma is controlled. A doctor might have to increase
the medicine to keep the asthma under control, or quite possible decrease the medicine.

Schedule follow-up visits with a doctor at regular times, at least every 6 months.

Createa treatment plan that helps your child participate actively in physical activities and
exercise

Tips for Teachers

Have access to an Asthma Action Plan for student with asthma on file in your classroom.

Have an understanding of the most up to date asthma policies and procedures at the school.

Collaborate with the student and parents ahead of time for missed days and assignments because
of an asthma attack.
Plan activities that are asthma-friendly or have variations or alternatives things to do for students
with asthma.

Plan for asthma-friendly field trips so that everyone can participate.

Have an understanding of asthma attack warning signs, as well as signs of uncontrolled asthma.

Have access to asthma medications at all times, no matter where the class is.

Make the school nurse, an administrator and the child’s parent if asthma seems out of control.

Reduce all allergens and triggers in your classroom to help reduce the chances of an asthma
attack.

Teach your class about asthma so that they are aware of it so they know how to help a child.
Make them more at ease if an attack happens.

Communicate with parents, the school nurse, and administrators in order to control asthma in the
classroom.

Resources for Asthma

ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Appleton

1818 N Meade St, Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 731-4101

Division of Public Health

Bureau of Environmental and Occupational Health
1 West Wilson Street, Room 150
Madison, Wisconsin 53702
Phone: 608-267-6845
Children's Hospital of Wisconsin -- Fox Valley
130 Second St
Neenah, WI 54956
(920) 969-7900

Ascension NE Wisconsin St. Elizabeth Hospital

1506 S Oneida St, Appleton, WI 54915
(920) 738-2000

Allergy & Asthma Associates

436 E Longview Dr Appleton, WI 54911
Phone (920) 739-5213
Affinity Health System – Support Groups
1506 S. Oneida Street, 54915
(920) 738-2000 2
WI 54915
“The Lion Who Had Asthma” by Albert Whitman Prairie

“Taking Asthma to School” by Kim Gosselin

“Asthma Free in 21 days” by Kathryn Shafer

Sample

The family went camping to “Pride of America” campground one summer weekend. I have two
boys and my youngest has a really bad asthma condition. The day is spent as one with nature.
The activities Landon my 3 year old participates in is eating meals, biking riding, baseball,
swimming, miniature golfing and playing at the playground all outside. In the middle of the day
he was in dreamland, taking a nap in the family camper. The weather is beautiful, so all the
windows were open. Stars light the sky as the family reminisces. In the middle of the big circle
is a blazing fire and my son is sitting on my lap. After about a half hour or so, he begins to
cough uncontrollably. My wife and I quickly get him to our camper and as I hold him, trying to
calm him down, she pulls out his inhaler. This is something that was subscribed by our family
doctor. We are unable to calm him down and the puffs that he inhaled didn’t seem to work?! I
continued to try to calm him down, while my wife franticly reached for and set up his nebulizer.
He wanted nothing to do with the mask that goes over the face, but eventually accepted it. In
the beginning even after he calm down it wasn’t working, still coughing with stopping. The
medicine finally started working and after about 20 minutes, which seemed like forever, the
asthma was controlled. As a precaution I stayed in the camper for the remainder of the night
with him. He ended up falling asleep in my arms, snuggling in his bed watching, “Despicable
Me”. It was a scary scene and I don’t want him to ever go through that again. The truth is
though you can’t stop living. The proper precautions need to be taken to minimize the chances
of it happening again.