If you or someone you know has asthma, then you probably know what it can be like when asthma causes that wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing.
In fact, more than 25 million people in the United States have asthma, and it is one of the most common and costly diseases, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
Asthma symptoms are caused by airway inflammation, airway swelling, accumulation of mucus, and constriction of airway muscle. Symptoms can be triggered by a variety of different things, including allergens like dust or pet dander, or can be developed in response to certain foods or exercise.
Linda Rogers, MD
Though this condition is widespread, many people may also have some misconceptions about asthma. Linda Rogers, MD, an Associate Professor in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, explains three things you may not know.
Asthma is not just a children’s disease
Although asthma and allergies are common in children, asthma can develop at any age. Some of the types of asthma that develop in adults are associated with sinus disease, including nasal polyps and late onset asthma in older people, and symptoms can present suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, and are at times severe. Inhaled treatments can help keep symptoms in check and prevent flare-ups for those with asthma at all ages. For some people with asthma, there are new medicines given by injection if inhaled therapies are not keeping asthma under control.
Using albuterol alone as your only treatment for asthma may not be safe
Airway inflammation is an important driver of asthma symptoms. Albuterol is a medication delivered by an inhaler that helps to open airways when you have an asthma attack by relaxing the muscles. It is sold under brand names such as Ventolin, Proventil, and Proair. Albuterol does not treat inflammation and only provides quick relief without treating the underlying cause of asthma. Using albuterol alone has been linked to worsening airway inflammation, decreased sensitivity to albuterol for quick relief when it is most needed, and worsening of asthma over time. Instead of using albuterol alone, treatment with combination inhalers that have a medication to open the airways quickly (albuterol or formoterol) mixed together in one inhaler with a low dose anti-inflammatory inhaled steroid has been found to be a safer approach and is better at preventing flare-ups that land you in urgent care, the emergency room, or in the hospital. This is true for patients who may feel that they have mild asthma and only need treatment when they have symptoms. Some of these treatments can be used only when you have symptoms with better results than just albuterol alone.
Low dose inhaled steroids are safe and effective
Many patients with asthma are concerned about side effects from using inhaled steroids, and this concern leads them to use albuterol alone and to avoid inhaled steroids entirely. We now have almost 50 years of experience using inhaled steroids to treat asthma. Side effects that have been reported generally occur with high doses. When using low doses, inhaled steroids are extremely safe and better than albuterol alone at controlling symptoms and preventing flare-ups. New approaches that combine these medications in one inhaler with a quick relief medication (such as albuterol or formoterol) allow many patients with asthma to use these as needed for symptoms and get similar results to using daily medication while keeping the dose of inhaled steroids low.