Asthma Management Program
What is asthma?
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways. In susceptible individuals, this inflammation causes recurrent episodes of coughing, wheezing, chest tightness and difficulty breathing.
Inflammation makes the airways sensitive to stimuli such as allergens, chemical irritants, perfumes, tobacco smoke, cold air and exercise. When exposed to these stimuli, the airways may become swollen, constricted, filled with mucus and hyper-responsive to irritants.
Take control of your asthma
Approximately 470,000 people in the United States are hospitalized and more than 5,000 deaths occur every year from asthma. However, with proper training and therapy, inflammation in the lungs can be reduced, symptoms can be controlled and most asthma-related problems can be prevented.
If you have recurring emergency room visits, hospital admissions or frequent time missed from work or school, and/or you use rescue inhalers more than twice per day, the Asthma Management Program can help you take control of your asthma.
Designed for people of all ages, the program offers the means to control asthma attacks through education, monitoring and follow-up. In the pleasant outpatient setting of the Beaufort Medical Plaza, you will receive one-on-one consultations with a respiratory therapist who will follow you through the program.
Asthma control—Meeting your goals
To control your asthma, your respiratory therapist will focus on five major components:
- Assess and monitor your asthma.
- Educate you about the correct use of medications.
- Control your asthma triggers.
- Develop a management plan.
- Continue staff follow-up and feedback.
The program consists of three weekly visits. After the third visit, you will be scheduled for three-month and six-month follow-up appointments with your respiratory therapist.
Participants also have access to other programs, such as pulmonary rehab, smoking cessation and the BMH/YMCA LifeFit Weight Management Program.
Take
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Heart Beats and Breaths
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