Learning To Manage Your Severe Adult-Onset Asthma

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When you have gone through your life without any chronic respiratory issues, you may have trouble adjusting when you begin to suffer from adult-onset asthma. And if your asthma is also severe, the struggle can be even more difficult. While it may be challenging, there are ways that you can manage your adult-onset asthma and maintain your overall respiratory health. Get to know some of the options that are available to you so that you can take the best care of your health possible.

Monitor Your Breathing Levels Daily

One of the best ways that you can maintain your breathing and get your asthma under control (as well as keep it there) is to keep track of your respiration. A peak flow meter is a simple device that you can use at home to keep track of your daily breathing by tracking how fast the air moves out of your lungs when you forcefully blow air into the device.

The higher the number on the peak flow meter, the better your lungs are doing. So, the goal is to have that number increase and then plateau or stay about the same (a sign that you have gotten you asthma under control). Daily peak flow readings can also help you and your doctors map trends in your bad days so that you can better understand what triggers your asthma exacerbation and respiratory distress. This further helps you to manage your adult-onset asthma overall.

Daily Maintenance Inhalers and Other Maintenance Treatments

In addition to monitoring your breathing, you will need daily maintenance treatment for your severe adult-onset asthma. Oftentimes, the first and best option for this daily maintenance is an inhaler (also known as a prescription inhalation aerosol).

Many people on maintenance inhalers use them twice a day with one or two "puffs" on the inhaler. This medication is usually different from the medication that is used to treat acute asthma attacks and is designed to keep the bronchial passage muscles relaxed and keep the airway open.

When you are experiencing periods of time in which you are suffering from several asthma attacks or restricted breathing or your daily maintenance inhaler is not doing an effective job, your doctor may recommend additional treatments. These can include the temporary use of inhaled corticosteroids to reduce inflammation and relieve symptoms. Another new option is an IV infusion treatment administered once a month that can help reduce asthma attacks and improve overall lung function when used with other asthma treatments.

Now that you have a few ideas of the ways you can better manage and maintain your severe adult-onset asthma, you can be sure that you are taking the best possible care of your respiratory health. Contact a company like Aerospan RX for more information.


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