Leaders in Providing Comprehensive Pulmonary Care and Sleep Medicine Services, All Under One Roof, for patients in and around Altoona, PA
Put those "Asthma Specialist Near Me" searches to rest. Our asthma experts provide a wide array of services to effectively manage Asthma to children and adults.
Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Unfortunately, there are about 6 million children under the age of 18 with asthma. And more and more people are being diagnosed with asthma - in part because of diagnostic capabilities (i.e. health care professionals are more likely to suspect a persistent wheeze or a cough may actually be asthma). With asthma becoming more recognizable and/or common, it’s important to know what to do if asthma symptoms appear and or/worsen, particularly to the point of an emergency. Regular doctor’s visits should be made, and treatments should be adjusted if needed.
At the Altoona Lung Specialists located in Lung Disease Center of Central Pennsylvania, we offer a go-to center for asthma care, and offer a majority of necessary testing in-office to alleviate the need to go elsewhere for any part of your care. Call 814-946-2845 or book an appointment online!
Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways that makes breathing difficult. With asthma, there is inflammation of the air passages that results in a temporary narrowing of the airways that carry oxygen to the lungs.
Asthma can present with a combination of several symptoms that are sometimes or always present. These include:
Untreated asthma or undertreated asthma may lead to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD. Additionally, smoking plus asthma is a recipe for emphysema and chronic bronchitis - both of which are COPD-related illnesses.
Asthma may be diagnosed based on a history of symptoms and/or a complete physical examination. As well, a spirometry test can show how limited airflow is in your lungs. More sophisticated tests can also be used if the diagnosis is in doubt. The following are all sample questions used during the diagnostic process:
Exposure to triggers should be limited and any inflammation in the airways should be reduced. Avoiding tobacco smoke is very important as part of this process. A clean home environment should also be maintained. Keeping pets out of the bedroom and controlling dust and house dust mites are just a few of many changes to the environment that can help. Medications are not a substitute for avoiding contact with allergens and irritants. Medication should always be used in combination with environmental changes.