Pennsylvania Medical Society Offers Summertime Guidance for Asthma Suffers
| Date: July 19, 2006 |
Media Contact: |
Chuck Moran |
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Pennsylvania Medical Society |
| For Immediate Release |
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(717) 558-7820 |
(Harrisburg, PA) Pennsylvania’s 1.5 million asthma sufferers can breathe a sigh of relief. The Pennsylvania Medical Society is introducing state-specific online resources to help patients cope with the commonwealth’s allergen-rich environment that aggravates asthma conditions, particularly in the summer months when people spend more time outdoors. This new effort is part of the Medical Society’s Family Health and Wellness campaign, which launched this spring to provide Pennsylvanians with guidance on medical issues of particular concern in the state.
Asthma is a topic of great interest especially to residents in the Scranton, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Lancaster, and Harrisburg areas. These cities rank among the 25 worst places in the country for asthma sufferers, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Seasonal asthma triggers are compounded in Pennsylvania because of the Commonwealth’s poor air quality ratings, due to a mix of pollution, pollen, and other environmental factors.
“As common as asthma is, there is no cure,” explains Pennsylvania Allergy and Asthma Association president and Medical Society Member Howard A. Israel, MD. “However, there are many ways to relieve its symptoms. Education and awareness, together with prescribed remedies, can help asthma sufferers lead comfortable lives.”
The Medical Society’s Family Health and Wellness website offers resources that address air quality issues in the state, as well as help asthma sufferers cope with the disease. Visitors to www.myfamilywellness.org will find links to air quality forecasts in the Commonwealth to help residents plan daily activities. The site also features downloadable personal action plans to assist patients and physicians with symptoms management and treatment. And, there’s information about a daily diary designed specifically to help children understand and manage their asthma.
The website’s links to Air Quality Indexes (AQI) allow residents to keep track of conditions in their local regions with daily updates on the level of air pollutants, such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide (produced as a result of road traffic and other combustion processes, including gas stoves and tobacco smoke). Site visitors also can get an indication of the overall environmental health quality in their area on a given day.
The downloadable asthma action plan enables patients to work with their doctors and create personal agendas outlining specific medical needs and asthma attack management suggestions. Patients should carry their personal asthma action plans at all times. Students should provide a copy to school nurses and teachers; adults should keep a copy in the car.
“One of the most important steps in preventing asthma attacks is controlling the factors that trigger them,” says Dr. Israel. “Since not everyone will react the same way to the same asthma triggers, it’s important to recognize which factors you respond to with wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and chest tightness.”
There are two different types of asthma triggers—allergic and irritant. Two of the most common environmental triggers in Pennsylvania are nitrogen dioxide—an irritant trigger—and pollen—an allergic trigger. Other irritant triggers include chemical irritants such as those in glue, paint, and cleaning products as well as tobacco smoke. Other allergic triggers can be dust mites, mold spores, and pets’ saliva, dander, and urine. Respiratory infections, exercise, weather change, and stress also can cause asthmatic reactions.
In addition to the summer resources found on its Family Health and Wellness website, the Pennsylvania Medical Society offers additional guidelines to help prevent asthma attacks. For those who are susceptible to irritant triggers:
- Keep windows closed and stay inside when pollen and smog counts are high (refer to the AQI forecasts on www.myfamilywellness.org for your area).
- Limit strenuous exercise when outdoors during hot, humid weather or when air quality is bad.
- Limit your exposure to second-hand smoke, as well as bonfires, campfires, and indoor fireplaces.
People with allergic triggers, such as dust mites, should:
- Thoroughly and frequently clean surfaces, like carpet, which can harbor dust mites.
- Wash bedding frequently and consider using mattress and pillow covers that block dust mites.
Persons with allergic triggers, such as animals, should also consider removing proven animal allergen sources from the indoor environment and thoroughly clean surfaces where the dander might be found. Of course, you should always discuss any medical concerns with your physician.
For more information, go to www.myfamilywellness.org and click on “Health Highlight.” For those in need of a doctor, the site also provides a searchable database of Medical Society Member Physicians. To receive a free copy of the asthma diary for children, contact the Pennsylvania Medical Society Center for Professional Drug Education, PO Box 8820, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8820; telephone (800) 228-7823, extension 1229.
Asthma will be the website’s highlighted health topic until September. At that time, the focus will shift to obesity.
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The patient-doctor relationship has been the priority of the Pennsylvania Medical Society since its founding in 1848. The Medical Society listens to concerns of both patients and doctors to improve the delivery of health care services. To learn more about the Pennsylvania Medical Society, visit its website at www.pamedsoc.org or its consumer website at www.myfamilywellness.org.
Last Updated: 8/1/2008