American Lung Association Has Designated

May As Asthma Awareness Month

By Nancy K. Crevier

May is considered a month of renewal as the final vestiges of winter are cast away and all of the wonders of spring come to the forefront. For asthma sufferers, though, it is a month of the renewal of springtime allergens that exacerbate year around symptoms of the chronic lung disease. The American Lung Association has designated May as National Asthma Awareness Month, in hopes that knowledge about asthma will assist sufferers and nonsufferers alike in alleviating the stimuli that contribute to life-threatening asthma attacks.

According to the American Lung Association, New England has the highest asthma rate in the nation, with a regional average of 8.9 percent of the population. Approximately 14 people in the United States succumb to asthma-related problems every day.

One of the more obvious triggers of asthma in spring is pollen. Trees, flowers, and grasses burst into bloom, plaguing asthma patients even as they provide pleasure to the population at large. Humidity and air pollution accompany the warmer days of spring, while springtime activities such as cleaning and painting stir up dust and fumes that do no good to those with asthma.

“Asthma sure is a problem in the Newtown area, a big problem,” said Dr Z. Michael Tahweh of Kevin’s Community Center, where he estimates five to ten percent of the patients present with asthma or chronic obstructive airway disorders. “Everybody suffers, especially children,” said Dr Tahweh. An immature immune system makes children more vulnerable to allergies and asthma, he explained. When the weather changes around mid-April each year, Kevin’s Community Center sees a significant increase in patients with allergy or asthma symptoms.

Severe allergies can turn into cough variant asthma or bronchio spasms and affect the upper respiratory passages. Dr Tahweh recommends allergy testing for patients who exhibit asthma symptoms.

“Most people with allergies don’t even know what they are allergic to. By visiting an allergist for testing they can identify the allergens, and once they know the allergens they can help themselves to some extent,” Dr Tahweh said. “There is a high correlation between allergies and asthma,” he said, and many of the same irritants that cause problems for allergy sufferers cause problems for asthma sufferers.

The best thing for allergy and asthma patients is to stay away from those things that irritate them, but that is also one of the more difficult things to do. Bare floors are a safer choice for those with allergies or asthma as carpets can harbor allergens. An air purifier, air conditioning, and keeping doors and windows closed during pollen season is recommended, but because the world is filled with potential allergens, “Most people need to go on some sort of medication to be comfortable,” said Dr Tahweh.

Dr Jonathan Bell of Allergy and Asthma Associates of Danbury agreed that asthma is a common problem nationwide, and in Danbury and Newtown areas. “You would be astounded by how many kids have inhalers in school,” said Dr Bell. “The incidence of asthma is higher than what we saw 10 or 15 years ago,” he said. Theories as to why the numbers have risen abound, but the true cause is not yet clear.

Nurse supervisor for the Newtown schools Dee Cupole said Dr Bell is right, that an increasing number of younger students especially keep inhalers in the nurses’ offices at elementary schools as emergency backups for tightness and wheezing. By high school age, she said, young people have been managing asthma better and taking long-term medications longer, plus they carry the inhalers on them, so less is seen of inhaler use with that age group.

“We do see an increase during the spring and allergy seasons of kids needing the inhalers, or when they have colds,” she said.

The number of children who use an asthma inhaler or asthma medications does not surprise Ms Cupole. “We know asthma is increasing all the time. It’s something that’s always there now,” she said.

What parents and asthma sufferers can do to make the school day and the nurses’ jobs easier, though, said Ms Cupole, is “Prevention! Take the long-acting medications if needed. Control when kids have colds and when they have allergies, or you’ll see more breakthrough in the need for those fast-acting inhalers,” she said.

What is clear is that there are seasonal exacerbations of asthma, and right now, tree pollen is very high in Connecticut. Asthma is the ability of the lung to overreact and there are many different triggers, Dr Bell explained, with individuals reacting differently to various triggers. If pollen allergies are an asthma trigger, Dr Bell recommends that after outdoor activities a change of clothes and an immediate shower can decrease the chance of bringing on an attack by getting rid of any pollen that may have collected on skin, hair, and clothing.

When asthma is not properly addressed, it can be a life-threatening disease. Irritations from the environment lead to an asthma attack in which narrowed airways with swelling of the lining, tightening of the airway muscles, and increased mucous secretion in the airway, raise havoc with every breath in and out. Undiagnosed asthma can lead to a loss of lung capacity and in extreme cases difficulty breathing can lead to death.

Symptoms of asthma, as posted on the Connecticut Department of Public Health website, include a troublesome cough, especially at night; being awakened by coughing; coughing or wheezing after physical activity; breathing problems during particular seasons; a cough, wheeze, or chest tightness after exposure to allergens; colds that last more than ten days; and symptoms that are relieved when medication is used. These could be early warning signs of asthma and should be mentioned to a physician.

The American Lung Association suggests using a vacuum with a HEPA filter to clean the air as the carpet and floors are cleaned, reducing indoor particulate pollution. Sheets and pillows should be laundered weekly in hot water and dried in the drier to reduce dust, mite, and pet dander build-up. When painting or cleaning, ventilate the room well.

The pleasant, sunny days of spring beckon people outdoors where pollens are not the only culprits lurking. Charcoal grill smoke, auto emissions, and increased ozone contribute to asthma attacks. Watch for ozone warnings and avoid outdoor activities when ozone levels are high.

Asthma is nearly always treatable, said Dr Bell.

“If inflammation is addressed early on, long-term damage to the airways can be prevented,” he said.