Page 60 - Harnett Life Spring 2021

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New Guidance May Change How You

Control Your Asthma

(Family Features) The National Heart, Lung, and Blood In- are medicines that help control inflammation in your airways
stitute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health recently over time, and bronchodilators help keep your airway muscles
updated national guidelines for the diagnosis, treatment and relaxed. The guidelines also suggest that people ages 12 and up
management of asthma. Asthma is a chronic lung condition af- with mild persistent asthma may do well with inhaled cortico-
fecting about 25 million Americans, 5.5 million of whom are steroids along with a type of medication called a short-acting
children. The 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma bronchodilator for quick relief.
Management Guidelines aim to improve the care of people liv-
ing with asthma. Together, people with asthma, their caregivers People who are sensitive and exposed to indoor allergy trig-
and health care providers can make informed decisions about gers, such as dust or animal dander, may find that these al-
asthma management based on this new guidance. lergens affect their asthma. A few different strategies, used
together, can help reduce symptoms. Using only one strategy
The guidelines contain 19 new recommendations in six key often does not improve asthma outcomes. For example, us-
areas of asthma diagnosis, management and treatment. For ex- ing a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration vacuum
ample, they suggest that people ages 4 and up with moderate cleaner along with pillow and mattress covers that prevent dust
to severe persistent asthma use a single inhaler that contains an mites from going through them could benefit those sensitive to
inhaled corticosteroid and the bronchodilator formoterol. The dust. Using an integrated pest management plan may be help-
guidance recommends this treatment both as a daily asthma ful if you are allergic and exposed to cockroaches, mice or rats.
controller and as a quick-relief therapy. Inhaled corticosteroids

Page 60 Harnett Life ~ Spring 2021