Education is key to living with asthma
An asthma attack is variously described in terms of feeling like “a fish out of water,” “an elephant is sitting on my chest” and “a pillow being held over my face,” just to name a few. That’s the experience of some 23,000 adults and children in the Imperial Valley at one time or another.
That’s about how many asthma sufferers reside here, based on the 2016 Imperial County Asthma Profile report. El Centro Regional Medical Center has reported that emergency room visits due to respiratory problems are three times higher in El Centro alone than the state average.
A chronic condition that involves inflammation of the airways, asthma has become a huge medical concern.
Although the condition is treatable, there is no cure, and evidence suggest its prevalence will continue to grow. Among U.S. cities, El Centro ranks 15th in terms of unhealthy in terms of unhealthy ozone (smog) levels and ninth with regard to particle pollution, according to the American Lung Association’s 2018 State of the Air report, released this spring.
In that same report, Imperial County earned Fs for both its number of unhealthy ozone days and unhealthy air days.
In other words, children here are exposed to high levels of allergens like dust, second-hand smoke and air pollution, which can often trigger asthma attacks.
Asthma can begin at any age, but most people experience their first symptoms before they are 5.
Diagnosis is typically confirmed through a measurement of lung function called a spirometry test.
This same test is used for diagnosing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other conditions that affect breathing. Asthma episodes occur when a person breathes in an asthma trigger.
This trigger causes airways to constrict, making it difficult for an individual to draw breath.
The airway can become narrow due to swelling and from the mucus produced inside the respiratory tract.
There are resources such as the Imperial Valley Child Asthma Program that offer more information on this common disease.
However, even with these types of programs available to the public, not enough people are not taking advantage of such resources.
Imperial Valley Child Asthma Program Director Aide Munguia Fulton said that by learning how to spot the early symptoms of asthma, people could help to reduce the risk of the condition, or even avoid a simple asthma episode.
“Doctors do not have the time in the office to provide the education needed during regular visits, and asthma being a chronic condition needs proper management and follow-ups,” she said.
Medical providers are concerned people are not taking this disease seriously.
Most people only seek medical attention when they are already symptomatic, and ECRMC has reported that this is very common here.
With proper education and management, people with asthma can live a normal lifestyle. Failure to do so can be costly.
The estimated financial impact nationally is $56 billion per year. Costs include medical care, absences in school and work, and early death.
Medications to treat asthma work to eliminate swelling of the respiratory tract.
Patients who choose not to take their prescribed medication can develop uncontrolled asthma.
This can result in an increase of negative consequences. Some of these consequences include loss of sleep, depression, and an impaired lifestyle.
Increased risk of death from asthma is evident when one has been hospitalized more than twice in the past year, been admitted into intensive care unit due to a severe episode, or has used more than two quick-reliever inhalers (albuterol) a month.
Because asthma is preventable, Munguia encouraged people to look for resources like the Imperial Valley Child Asthma Program to help their loved ones.