BACK TO SCHOOL WITH ASTHMA
What is Asthma? Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease affecting millions of school-aged children nationwide. Many common environmental asthma triggers (including molds, dust mites, animal dander, pests, and even tobacco smoke) can be commonly found in school buildings.
What Can I do? To reduce the number emergency room visits this school year, the American Lung Association of Florida urges parents to talk their child’s physician and to teachers and school administrators about their child’s asthma needs. Filling out an
Asthma Action Plan (
Spanish version) can not only help school staff be aware of a child’s triggers, but can also educate them on how best to treat asthmatic symptoms.
Additional tips for parents can be found here.
Luckily, Florida law allows students to keep their inhalers on their person and not locked up in an office. The more quickly they are administered, the more effective they are, and in some cases they can save lives. Click here to learn more about when a student should carry inhalers, etc.
Simpler Asthma Treatment Options Found Effective
Click here to read more...
American Lung Association Clinical Trial Tested Specific Drugs Head-to-Head with Gold Standard of Asthma Treatment.
If not properly managed, asthma can be a life-threatening disease. There are more than 1.3 million children and adults living in Florida with asthma. Asthma is the leading chronic illness among children and accounts for approximately 14 million missed school days annually. Asthma is also the third-leading cause of hospitalizations among children under the age of 15. Each year, asthma accounts for 14.5 million lost work days for people over 18.
What is Asthma? Asthma is characterized by chronic inflammation of the bronchial tubes or the airways of the respiratory system. Over time, the inflammation causes the normal function of the airways to become over-reactive and produce increased muscle contraction, swelling and mucus production. These changes produce the characteristic chest tightness, coughing and wheezing. Asthma episodes, or attacks, are brought on by a number of stimuli known as triggers. These can include exercise, allergies, infections, weather, emotions and environmental irritants, especially tobacco smoke. The key to asthma treatment is proper diagnosis, management andcontrol . This includes avoidance of asthma triggers, patient education, asthma medications, and in some cases, allergy shots.
Facts About Asthma
Living With Asthma
The Asthma Control Test was created through an educational partnership with GlaxoSmithKline to help evaluate asthma management.
Open Airways for Schools
consists of six 40-minute group lessons for children with who have asthma and is held during the school day. The program uses group discussion, stories, games and role play to help students take control and learn more about their asthma. Call 1-800-LUNG-USA to find out about Open Airways for Schools in your area.
Many children with asthma cannot participate in normal activities, like summer camp, because there are not adequate medical resources to help with their asthma management. Fortunately, the American Lung Association of Florida holds an asthma camp at The Boggy Creek Gang Camp, 30 miles North of Orlando in Eustis, Florida. This program is specially suited for children with severe asthma, ages 7-16, to enjoy a weeklong summer camp experience with full-time medical supervision.
Related Internet Resources:
*These sites are not part of The American Lung Association Web site and we have no control over their content or availability.
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology www.aaaai.org
American Academy of Pediatrics www.aap.org
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology www.allergy.mcg.edu
American Thoracic Society www.thoracic.org
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America www.aafa.org
National Institutes of Health www.nih.gov
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute www.nhlbi.gov
Centers for Disease Control www.cdc.gov
US Environmental Protection Agency - Asthma www.epa.gov/asthma
No Attacks - How to prevent asthma attacks www.noattacks.org