The Importance of Asthma Management

Asthma is a major disease that affects millions of people around the world—unfortunately, it is often under-diagnosed and under-treated, leading to a significant amount of asthma mismanagement.* This occurs when people’s symptoms and treatment are not handled properly, such as failing to track your asthma, not seeking regular medical care, and taking medicine inconsistently or taking the wrong medicine entirely.

Failing to manage asthma correctly can have a number of consequences, including worsened asthma attacks and breathing problems. At BRMS, we’re working to spread awareness about the importance of asthma management through helpful insights and tips for properly managing asthma!

• Around 7.7% of Americans have asthma.**
• Asthma accounted for roughly 4.9 million doctors’ visits in a year.***
• The cost of asthma is around $50 billion annually.**
• Asthma is more common in adult women than men.***
• About 60% of adults with asthma currently do not have it controlled.**

Have an Asthma Action Plan
Asthma looks different for everyone, so it’s important to talk with your doctor about making a plan that’s personalized to you. This plan will provide clear guidelines for managing asthma in your daily life as well as emergency instructions for what to do during an asthma flare-up.

Know Your Medications
Being able to identify which asthma medications you need to take and when is a big part of managing your asthma properly. Getting the timing right with your medications is vital for controlling asthma and preventing flare-ups, so be sure to stay consistent with the medication you’re prescribed.

Keep an Eye on Symptoms
Some symptoms of an asthma flare-up are more subtle than others, and that pesky cough you have could turn into an asthma attack if left untreated. It’s important to monitor any changes in your symptoms each day, no matter how small.

Get in the Habit
Forming good asthma habits is just as important as avoiding any bad ones. Keep your lungs strong with regular exercise, manage your symptoms and stress, and always keep an eye out for secondhand smoke to avoid. These good habits will help reduce respiratory inflammation and increase lung capacity—leading to fewer asthma symptoms.

Stay Educated
If you have asthma, you probably know a good deal about it already, but it never hurts to brush up on your knowledge! For example, did you know that laundry detergent can cause an asthma flare-up? We sure didn’t, and now we have another thing to make note of on the shopping list. It always helps to continue learning about your asthma, so make a point to talk with your doctor about any questions you may have!