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HOW TO MANAGE YOUR ASTHMA
A recent article published in Business Week Online entitled "How to Manage Your Asthma" suggested that "asthma sufferers can achieve near-perfect freedom from shortness of breath."
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) and two other standard-setting groups recently issued a new set of treatment guidelines aimed at eliminating all asthma symptoms. The guidelines build on the original guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma released by the NHLBI (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) in 1991.
Under the original guidelines, patients were classified as having mild, moderate, or severe asthma and treated accordingly. The new system calls for an individualized and frequently modified treatment plan aimed at eliminating the symptoms of asthma such as wheezing, coughing and chest tightness.1
According to Dr. James T. Li, Chairman of the Division of Allergic Diseases at the Mayo Clinic and lead author, "Patients should expect perfect or near-perfect control of their symptoms - and they shouldn't settle for anything less".2
The guidelines emphasize the fact that asthma should be assessed at every clinical encounter and that management decisions should be based on the level of disease control. Physician assessment of asthma control includes both historical and spirometric data, which are sometimes conflicting.3
The article highlights the fact that Asthma sufferers should regularly check their lungs' condition at home with a peak-flow monitor.4
Regular monitoring of Peak Expiratory Flow (PEF) using a Peak Flow Meter (PFM) such as the TruZone* PFM provides easy to use, reliable readings of a patient's peak expiratory flow, which when recorded every day in a daily record visually indicates a trend in peak expiratory flow overtime.
Used daily, a TruZone* PFM helps patients become active partners in monitoring their condition, provides an accurate early warning system, and can save trips to the hospital emergency room and healthcare costs.
Asthma management focused on the level of asthma control and developing individualized treatment plans requires a close partnership between the physician and the patient.
1,2,4 Arnst C. How to Manage Your Asthma. Business Week Magazine, Nov 21, 2005.
3 Li JT et al. Attaining optimal asthma control: A practice parameter. Journal of Allergy & Clinical Immunology, Nov, 2005
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