Taking control of asthma
Deirdre Gavin
Take a minute and think of what comes to mind when you hear the word ‘asthma’. For this writer, it awakens memories of a lifetime of wheezing, some hospital stays and many frightening encounters cured by a nebuliser. For the most part though it’s a word that isn’t well understood.
If you imagine having a large, heavy-set Doberman resting on your chest, you’re on the road to understanding how it feels to be asthmatic. It’s an awkward, incurable, chronic disease that affects so many of us, but certainly shouldn’t define us.
Asthma is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition, yet up to 60 percent of Irish patients do not have their asthma controlled. If you are using your reliever inhaler more than two times a week, your asthma is not under control.
It’s that time of year again when pollen levels increase. For an asthma sufferer, pollen can be a lot more serious than a set of itchy eyes and a lot of sneezing.
Ten-point checklist
Shockingly, there is one asthma-related death a week in the country. With 475,000 people suffering from Asthma in Ireland, we have the fourth-highest prevalence of asthma worldwide. With that in mind, the Asthma Society of Ireland launched a ten-point checklist earlier this month.
The ten-point checklist (available to download for free from www.asthmasociety.ie) encourages patients to ask, inform and react. It is split into three sections: Helping patients to prepare for a doctor’s visit; Knowing what to ask when they are there; Making sure they are well informed by the time they leave.
It covers areas such as knowing the proper technique for using inhalers; recognising triggers such as pollen, pets or cigarette smoke; and knowing what to do if you suffer an attack. The checklist uses questions from the Global Initiative for Asthma, and encourages patients to write down their own queries and concerns before visiting their GP.
Asthma Nurse Specialist, with the Asthma Society of Ireland, Frances Guiney is a veritable one-stop shop for all queries that you may have on the condition. She explains that calls to the Asthma Society are on the increase and that this is down to the seasonal changes as well as environmental factors. “Closing windows at this time is very important for asthmatics, and making sure clothing isn’t hung out on the line can help minimise the risk,” she advises.
Asthma and babies
Many people do not realise that babies can develop asthma. Kerri Delussey, a mother of a nine-month-old baby suffering from the condition, knows just how difficult and worrying the condition can be. “Nobody really shows you how to use the baby inhaler.
You’re expected to know. Our doctor has been helpful with all the bad spells Jack has had, but they are not at home with you.
“It’s very frightening not knowing whether his condition is getting worse. My doctor always told me to go with my instincts and to bring him to the hospital if I felt he was getting worse, but sometimes it’s so hard to know if his condition is worsening.
The asthma society website really has loads of great help.”
Knowledge is power
Frances explains that knowledge is key to coping with asthma: “The most important aspects for parents to consider is primarily the diagnosis, from here they can devise a correct plan of care to be sure of how to manage the condition.
They should know the medication inside out – which inhaler to take and when.” Parents of older children should also be sure the child always carries a reliever inhaler, she says.
Arming oneself with knowledge of the condition seems to be the best method to adopt, while reviewing the condition twice a year with your GP is advised. Although it’s a frightening diagnosis it’s definitely manageable, and those diagnosed can lead a perfectly normal, active life. David Beckham carries around one of those blue relievers after all.
Asthma in Ireland
- 475,000 people in Ireland suffer from asthma (one in eight)
- 90,000 people do not have their symptoms controlled
- Ireland has the fourth-highest prevalence of asthma worldwide
- Asthma is consistently in the top 20 diagnoses for admission to hospital
- About 55 per cent of these admissions and visits are by children less than 14 years old
Famous people with asthma
- Jessica Alba
- Liz Taylor
- Charles Dickens
- Brent Pope
- Pink
- Che Guavara
