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 | It's quite common for people with asthma to feel much better during the summer months, and therefore take a break from their asthma controller medications. Kids are out of school, possibly less active, have fewer respiratory tract infections, and therefore often have less asthma symptoms. It would be reasonable to think that people don't need their asthma controller medications during the summer months. Unfortunately, this common practice is one of the reasons why asthmatic children get so sick in the autumn months when they get a viral respiratory tract infection. In fact, our office gets inundated with sick asthmatics in September -- a few weeks after school starts and kids start spreading around the common cold virus. Children often wind up in the emergency room or hospitalized for their asthma as a result. The most common reason for asthma attacks in children isn't allergies or exercise -- but respiratory tract infections. This is why the fall and winter months tend to be the worst for asthmatics -- this is cold and flu season. Most asthmatics who require a daily controller therapy should stay on this medicine year-round, because even missing a few weeks or months of the medicine leads to untreated inflammation in the lungs -- just waiting for a respiratory tract infection to make things worse. Therefore, taking a summer break from asthma controller medicines isn't the best idea. The first day of school -- and the first cold of the season -- is just around the corner. | |
Should You Take a Summer Break from Asthma Medications?
Most people don't like taking medications, especially when they're young and otherwise healthy, as is the case for many people with asthma. So it's not surprising that many asthmatics stop taking their controller medications during the summer. After all, the weather's warm, they're less likely to get sick (viral infections such as the common cold trigger asthma), most people have less stress due to school break (stress is a common asthma trigger), and people are taking vacations and likely to forget about their daily routines (including taking their daily medications).
| Is Your Asthma Controlled?
Many people overestimate the amount of control they have over their asthma. This is often because people get used to feeling a certain way as a result of asthma; they think that having asthma symptoms is normal. Since uncontrolled asthma can lead to loss of lung function, emergency room visits, hospitalizations, and even death, it is important for people to realize when their asthma is not controlled.
| All About Asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung disease, which cannot be cured, yet can be well-controlled with close follow-up with a physician and appropriate medical therapies. In people with asthma, lung airways become inflamed, leading to narrowing of the airways. The muscles around the airways become more sensitive, and can react to allergens and irritants. Asthma can be a life-threatening disease, and there are typically a few thousand deaths in the United States every year as a result of this disease.
| Allergy Basics
The page covers topics which are basic to the understanding of allergic diseases in general. A brief question and answer format is used in an easy to read and understand manner.
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