Asthma
What is Asthma
Asthma is a long-term condition that affects your airways – the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs and can lead to symptoms such as coughing, wheezing and breathlessness.
Asthmatics often have triggers which can vary from person to person. On coming into contact with one of your asthma triggers, they can make your symptoms worse and even bring on an asthma attack.
How do my airways react to triggers?
If you have asthma you have ‘sensitive’ airways that are inflamed and ready to react when they come into contact with something they don’t like.
If you come into contact with one of your asthma triggers it causes your airways to react in three ways:
- The muscles around the walls of the airways tighten so that the airways become narrower and more difficult to get air in.
- The lining of the airways becomes inflamed and starts to swell.
- Sticky mucus or phlegm sometimes builds up, which can narrow the airways even more.
These reactions in the airways make it difficult to breathe and lead to asthma symptoms, such as chest tightness, wheezing, or coughing. It can also lead to an asthma attack.
Who gets asthma?
In the UK, around 5.4 million people are currently receiving treatment for asthma. That’s one in every 12 adults and one in every 11 children.
Asthma affects more boys than girls. Asthma in adults is more common in women than men.
It tends to run in families, especially when there’s also a history of allergies and/or smoking.
Is Asthma the same for everyone?
Everyone with asthma has their own personal set of triggers and symptoms. Using a written asthma action plan is the best way to keep a record of your individual treatment plan.
You can have a certain ‘type’ of asthma too. For example, occupational asthma is caused by triggers in your workplace. Around 4% of people with asthma have a type of asthma called severe asthma, which needs specialist treatment because the usual medicines don’t keep symptoms under control.
Inhaler Technique (videos)
What to do in an Asthma attack
How to use your peak flow meter
Video: How to take your peak flow reading
Keeping a regular diary of your peak flow results is a good way to monitor your asthma. Peak flow is a simple measurement of how quickly you can blow air out of your lungs. It’s often used to help diagnose and monitor asthma.
By measuring how fast you’re able to breathe out, your peak flow score can indicate whether your airways are narrowed.
This could be a sign that you have asthma, although other tests such as spirometry will often be needed to confirm the diagnosis.
If you’ve already been diagnosed with asthma, measuring your peak flow regularly can be a useful way of monitoring your condition.
Your score can show whether or not your condition is getting worse. It can also check if your medication is working, and indicate whether you’re having an asthma attack.
Please see the link below to download a printable table to help you record your results or use a mobile app.
What is the annual Asthma review?
It is vital that every year we assess your asthma symptoms. For your convience we are making the process easier then ever.
For patients who have a saved mobile number we will send you and accuRx florey message. This will allow you to update us on your current symptoms and demonstrated in the video below. If you would like to update us with your mobile number to use this service please complete this form.
Watch a short video on YouTube about your astham Florey review.
For those without a mobile number you can complete this online form or we will send you a letter to your home address. In the letter there will be a questionnaire which we would like you to return to us on completion.
What happens after I respond to either the text or letter?
Your responses will be reviewed by our asthma nurses. Based on this they will decide the next course of action. This can include
- Text information with links to useful videos and leaflets
- A telephone appointment with an asthma nurse
- A face to face appointment with an asthma nurse
Complete your annual Asthma review
Asthma & COPD reviews are now completed via our online text messaging service.
At some point during the year you will receive a text requesting you to answer some questions. It is mandatory that this is completed annually and your medications may stop if this is not done.
If you have not received your text please contact reception on 01926 331401 to ensure you are on our list.
Thank you.
