May is the peak season for allergy and asthma sufferers which makes it the perfect time to educate people about these two diseases.
Asthma is a disease of the lungs that occurs when airways become blocked or narrowed making it difficult to breathe. While asthma affects about 25 million Americans, each case is unique. Some people are born with it although it sometimes doesn’t show up until later in life.
If you have asthma, it is important to make sure you have your asthma under control. The most common preventative measure is the prescription of an inhaler. Once starting with this preventative measure, you should have fewer asthma attacks and be able to better maintain a normal, healthy lifestyle.
It is important to understand what triggers your asthma attacks; sometimes these triggers are more of aftershocks that don’t appear until after the attack has already happened. You may find that you are your own physical detective. This will help you attempt to cut down on the number of your asthma attacks.
Every year in the U.S. Asthma leads to:
- 2 million Emergency Room visits
- 1/2 million hospitalizations
- 14 million doctor visits
- 14 million missed school days
- 3,400—3,600 deaths
Allergies are a disease of the immune system that causes an overreaction to substances. You may experience allergies from external or internal influences. Allergies are grouped by kinds of triggers, such as time of year, food, medicine, pollutants in the air, etc.
You may want to schedule an allergy test with a specialist to find out what you are allergic to...some triggers you may not have realized on your own.
For more information and tips check out aafa.org.