Asthma is a serious chronic disease that affects the quality of life for millions of Americans. Symptoms of asthma include:

• wheezing
• coughing
• difficulty breathing
• chest tightness

Symptoms may occur or worsen:

• at night
• when you exercise
• when you are sick
• when you are exposed to irritants such as smoke, pollen or pets
• when the weather changes

Keep your asthma in control!
Although asthma can not be cured, it can be controlled! Your asthma is not well controlled if it causes you to:

• miss work or school
• wake up at night
• avoid sports or exercise
• go to the emergency room or be admitted to a hospital

You CAN control asthma with help from your doctor and your asthma self management plan. An asthma self management plan is a guide for what to do each day to keep your asthma in control, as well as steps to take when your asthma is worse. HAP members can print an action plan to take to their next doctor appointment by logging in to Online Services and visiting HAP’s HealthTrack > Asthma. While you are there, check out the other available tools, such as the Asthma Library.

Know the difference
There are different kinds of asthma medications available. It is easy to get confused about which medicine to take and when to take it.

• Controller medications, such as inhaled steroids, are used daily. Talk to your physician about using a controller medication every day, even if you are feeling well. This type of medication keeps your asthma under control.
• Quick relief medications are used for fast relief of the symptoms that come with an asthma attack. This type of medication is for quick relief. It should not be used as a controller medication.

Finally...
Other things you can do to control your asthma include:

• Make a point of seeing your doctor at least every six months
• Recognize what makes your asthma worse (triggers) and take steps to avoid those things.
• Use an asthma diary and a peak flow meter (small machine that you can carry with you to measure your breathing) to help you understand your asthma better.
• Have a lung function (spirometry) test every 1-2 years
• Ask your doctor about seeing an asthma specialist if it is hard to keep your asthma under control, if you need additional testing, or if you are hospitalized due to your asthma symptoms.
• Talk to your doctor about getting a yearly flu shot and the pneumococcal vaccine.
• If you are a smoker, stop smoking.

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