Patient education...the key to asthma control
Dr. Steven M. Brown, a pulmonary specialist with Columbia St. Mary's, published his first research paper on asthma 25 years ago. Since then, he has seen this potentially dangerous illness become a treatable one. This is due to increased awareness of how to control asthma, and the drugs that have been developed to treat it.
Unfortunately, many people are so used to the symptoms that they do not seek treatment but, Dr. Brown stressed, even moderate asthma has the potential to be dangerous. Left untreated, asthma can cause permanent changes in the structure of the lungs, a condition called airway remodeling. This may make the lungs unresponsive to asthma medications should the condition worsen.
Dr. Glenn F. Ragalie, pulmonary specialist with Columbia St. Mary's
"With my patients, I focus on the discipline of daily treatment. The example I use is that if they have high blood pressure and they use their blood pressure medication every day they can keep it under control and not suffer consequences many years later. It's the same with asthma."
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While there are many different theories about what causes asthma and how best to treat it, one thing respiratory care physicians seem to agree on is that patients who understand their condition and the treatments necessary to control it will have better results and lead more active lives. That's why both Columbia St. Mary's and Advanced Healthcare offer special asthma control programs for their respiratory patients.
In the classes, patients or parents of young patients learn about symptoms of an asthma attack and how to control common asthma triggers. They also learn the value of an individual asthma control plan focusing on how to monitor lung function, the types of drugs for long-term treatment of the underlying condition, the use of rescue medications to control an acute attack and when to call a physician for advice.
"We want to improve the quality of life for our patients so that they don't end up in emergency rooms or hospitals. To me this education is crucial. We have done follow-up studies that show this does work. These patients know what to do when things go bad," said Dr. Tobias Enright, an allergy/immunology specialist with Advanced Healthcare.
