If you’re one of the 34 million Americans diagnosed with asthma, At AIR Care, Richard Herrscher, MD, and Maryam Saifi, MD can help you understand this chronic respiratory condition and develop a multitiered treatment approach that keeps it under control. While it’s a serious condition that shouldn’t go ignored, there’s really no need to let asthma rule your life. Call one of the offices for an appointment with Dr. Herrscher at AIR Care in Dallas or Plano, Texas, or schedule your visit online.
Asthma is a chronic (long-term) inflammatory disease that affects the walls of the large and small airways that move air into and out of your lungs. The inflammation reduces the size of these passages and can trigger a tightening of the surrounding muscles, which makes it hard to breathe.
Asthma can be mild with only episodic flare-ups or moderate to severe and quite debilitating. If left untreated, asthma can be life-threatening. Asthma-related issues are responsible for an estimated 4000 deaths annually in the United States.
Typical asthma symptoms include:
These symptoms may worsen suddenly during an acute or sudden asthma flare-up that’s often referred to as an asthma attack. Some people only have symptoms when they exercise or experience an extremely stressful situation.
It’s often more difficult to identify asthma in young children because of their inability to describe their symptoms.
Always call 911 or seek emergency medical care if your child is having difficulty breathing and consider making an appointment with Dr. Herrscher or Dr. Saifi if your child:
Effective asthma treatment requires a multipronged approach that includes quick-relief “rescue” inhalers to use during a sudden asthma attack. The medications in these inhalers (bronchodilators) quickly relax your chest muscles and open your airways but aren’t meant for long-term use. If you have asthma and use your rescue inhaler more than twice a week, it’s time to see Dr. Herrscher for an improved treatment plan.
Daily “controller” medications are used for long-term reduction of inflammation and include inhaled corticosteroids such as:
Because allergies often trigger asthma attacks, Dr. Herrscher and Dr. Saifi might recommend allergy testing and treatment which may include immunotherapy. For moderate to severe asthma, he might also recommend Fasenra™ (benralizumab), which is delivered via injection every four weeks for the first three doses and then once every eight weeks as a maintenance medication.
