Wheeler Health Spotlight - Asthma

According to the CDC, about 25 million Americans—about one in twelve!—have asthma, and about half of them will suffer an asthma attack every year.

Symptoms for asthma include:

Serious attacks of wheezing and coughing

Feeling short of breath

Sounds such as wheezing or high-pitched whistles

Pain in your chest, or difficulty breathing

There is no cure for asthma, but you can control symptoms with medication and the use of nebulizers or inhalers. A large percentage of patients with inhalers do not use them correctly, so a medical professional should always be consulted for the correct use of these vital devices.

Like most diseases, asthma does not exist in isolation.Some risk factors for the condition are directly related to other serious health conditions, such as:

Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke

Obesity

Exposure to pollution

And more

Wheeler’s Family Health & Wellness Center helps treat and may even help prevent asthma, in patients of all ages. To learn more about primary care services provided at our community health centers in Bristol, Hartford and New Britain, please visit our web site.

Additional resources:

CDC

American Lung Association

From Wheeler’s Resource Library:

For Patients

Wheeler Health Spotlight - Asthma