Asthma — Overview, Symptoms, Treatments, and Other Resources.
Asthma, an overview from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Asthma (AZ-ma) is a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning......more at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Information on Childhood Asthma from the American Lung association
Asthma is the leading serious chronic illness of children in the U.S. In 2006, an estimated 6.8 million children under age 18 (almost 1.2 million under age 5) currently had asthma, 4.1 million of which had an asthma attack, and many others have "hidden" or undiagnosed asthma.....more at American Lung Association.
Asthma Information for Parents & Children at the University of Virginia School of Medicine
Asthma is a disease of the respiratory system. Your respiratory system is made up of:
? Your nose and mouth
? Your windpipe (also called your trachea, pronounced tray-key-uh)
? Your lungs
? A bunch of air tubes (or airways) that connect your nose and mouth with your lungs
(these are called bronchi and bronchioles, pronounced bron-kye and bron-key-oles).
...Read more at the University of Virginia School of Medicine
Asthma symptoms, causes, types, and managment from the American academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
What is asthma? Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects more than 17 million Americans. Asthma is characterized by inflammation of the airways with intermittent bronchospasm. Bronchospasm (narrowing of the bronchial tubes) is caused by the inflammation of the muscles surrounding the air passageways...More at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
Asthma and Alternative treatments
Any unproven treatment for an illness or disease is considered an alternative medical approach by most American medical doctors. "Unproven" means there is not enough acceptable scientific evidence to show that the treatment works. The term alternative medicine refers to a wide variety of treatments considered outside "mainstream" or "usual" medical approaches in the United States today........more from Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
So You have Asthma?
It’s like breathing through a straw. That’s how many people with asthma describe what asthma feels like. But for most people with asthma, it doesn’t have to be that way!.......learn more at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Lung-COPD and Asthma
What does the term COPD mean? It stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and refers to a problem with breathing air out from your lungs. If you have difficulty breathing "used" air out of your lungs, not enough space is left for oxygen-rich air to enter your lungs.Until recently, most people who had COPD were grouped together and considered to have one disease. We now know that several different diseases cause this difficulty in releasing air from the lungs. Asthmatic bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema are three of the major diseases that are grouped together as COPD......more at National Lung Health Education Program
What People With Asthma Need to Know About Osteoporosis
Certain medications used to treat asthma and some behaviors triggered by concern over the disease can have a negative impact on the skeleton......more at National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Asthma and Life Quality test
If you have been told you have asthma, or even if you have occasional problems taking a good, deep breath, this simple test from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) may help improve your LIFE QUALITY (or "LQ"). Just answer yes or no to these questions. Then print this page and see how you can have a better LQ.......more at American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Podcast: Single inhaler therapy for asthma
Chris Cates, a General Practitioner from the south of England, describes the currently available evidence comparing the combination of formoterol and budesonide as maintenance and reliever therapy with inhaled steroid maintenance for chronic asthma. Listen at the Cochrane Collaboration.
Podcast: Regular treatment with salmeterol for chronic asthma: serious adverse events
Asthma is a very common condition and Cochrane Review are tackling concerns that have been raised about the safety of some of the treatments. Listen at the Cochrane Collaboration.
Podcast: Asthma: What is Asthma?
Brought to you by the Medical University of South Carolina, this podcast deal with the issue of asthma. Listen at MUSC.
Podcast: The Treatment of Asthma
Brought to you by the Medical University of South Carolina, this podcast deal with the issue of asthma. Listen at MUSC.
Video: Controlling Asthma at Home
A video to assist your family in coping with asthma prepared by the American Lung Association and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Watch the video at Asthma Moms.
Video: How Asthma Makes me Feel
Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) asked children to tell them—in pictures and in their own words—how they felt during an asthma attack, and how they felt when they could breathe again. What they told them was enlightening—and heart-rending. Watch the video at AANMA.
Managing exacerbations of asthma: Expert panel report 3: guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma.
Read the guideline at the National Gudeline Clearinghouse.
Allergen immunotherapy: a practice parameter second update.
Read the guideline at the National Gudeline Clearinghouse.
Abstract: Follow-up after acute asthma episodes: what improves future outcomes?
Emergency departments (EDs) are commonly used for the acute and chronic management needs of patients with asthma in the United States and account for nearly 2 million visits each year. Traditionally, the role of emergency physicians in caring for patients with acute asthma has been to provide emergency treatment and then to suggest follow-up visits with the primary care provider for ongoing preventive care. However, rates of follow-up with primary care providers are often low.See Abstract at PubMed.
Abstract: Do school-based asthma education programs improve self-management and health outcomes?
CONTEXT: Asthma self-management education is critical for high-quality asthma care for children. A number of studies have assessed the effectiveness of providing asthma education in schools to augment education provided by primary care providers. OBJECTIVE: To conduct a systematic review of the literature on school-based asthma education programs. See Abstract at PubMed.
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To find out who the top doctors are around the country, nonprofit Consumers' CHECKBOOK surveyed roughly 340,000 physicians to tell us which specialists they would want to care for a loved one. The Top Doctors database contains the names of over 23,000 doctors who were mentioned most often. Find top-rated doctors in the fifty largest metropolitan areas, in over thirty-five specialties, and more.
Normal vs. Asthmatic Airway
Source: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Asthma Strategies
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
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