Can Asthma be Cured?

Understanding Asthma

What is asthma? A chronic lung condition, asthma affects more than 25 million people in the United States, and currently has no cure. Asthma causes sudden inflammation in the airways and extra mucus in the lungs, which can make it difficult to breathe. It is a lifelong condition that can affect people of any age but typically begins in childhood. No one really knows why some people get asthma and others don’t, and it isn’t known exactly what causes asthma, but there are factors that can raise a person’s risk of this condition, including family history, immune system function, and the environment. Some people only experience mild asthma symptoms, while others have potentially life-threatening asthma attacks. It is very important to manage asthma, because even mild asthma can lead to a fatal attack. Symptoms of asthma include wheezing, coughing, chest pain and tightness, and shortness of breath.

Diagnosing Asthma

How is asthma diagnosed? If you go to the doctor exhibiting signs of asthma, your doctor will perform a comprehensive physical examination. You will be asked questions, not only about your symptoms, but also about your personal and familial medical history. Pulmonary function tests can be used to evaluate how much air is moving in and out of your lungs. And since asthma can be triggered by allergies, your clinician may also advice allergy testing. In addition to allergy-related asthma, there are other types of asthma, including exercise-induced asthma, occupational asthma, and childhood asthma.

Who is Most Likely to Outgrow Asthma?

Unfortunately, no one really outgrows asthma. Sometimes, children with asthma find that their symptoms decrease with age, but that does not mean that the condition is gone. Can asthma go away? It can go into remission, and it is most likely to go into remission if you are a male who was diagnosed after childhood, don’t have any other allergic diseases, don’t have symptoms unless you have a cold, and you have lower levels of biochemical asthma markers. Essentially, the less severe your asthma is, the more likely you are to experience remission of asthma symptoms.

Can Asthma Flare Up Again After Years?

Sometimes, children seem to have outgrown asthma and then it flares up again, even as late as middle age. It is estimated, though, that for people whose childhood asthma seems to resolve in the teen years, 25 percent will find that symptoms return by age 21, and 35 percent will experience this before age 26. It is important to manage your asthma, even if you aren’t experiencing symptoms, because if it comes back and you don’t have rescue medications, the result could be a fatal asthma attack.

What Can Trigger Asthma to Come Back?

It is unclear what causes asthma symptoms to return after years in remission. Sometimes, symptoms can be triggered an upper respiratory infection that irritates the airways, causing inflammation that makes them overly sensitive to stimuli. This can cause muscles in the airways to twitch, leading to an asthma attack. Increased allergen exposure can also trigger asthma symptoms to return, as can changes in hormone levels. If you have had asthma in the past, and you begin having respiratory symptoms, talk to your doctor about the possibility that your asthma has returned.

How Do I Get Rid of Asthma Forever?

Technically, asthma is permanent. However, there are steps you can take to manage your asthma and avoid experiencing symptoms. Working with your doctor, you can come up with strategies to keep asthma attacks at bay.

Keep taking your long-term controller medications. Even if you believe you are in remission, stay on the medicines prescribed by your doctor, to avoid a flare-up that will cause you to use rescue medications, like an inhaler.

Avoid known asthma triggers. Know what your triggers are and try to reduce or remove them from your environment. For example, if pet dander is an issue, keep pets out of your bedroom. Wash your bedding weekly, and keep your home clean, favoring hard floors over carpets and blinds over drapes to make this easier. Also, don’t smoke, because smoking irritates the airways.

Try not to exercise outside when the weather is cold. This can trigger an asthma attack, even if you did not previously experience exercise-induced asthma.

Manage your allergies. If your asthma is connected to allergies, take over-the-counter antihistamines during allergy season. You might also want to try immunotherapy, commonly called allergy shots, which can help control seasonal allergies and reduce the risk of an allergy-related asthma attack.

Brevard Health Alliance Can Help Control Your Asthma

When you need to see a doctor, Brevard Health Alliance, Inc. can help. We are Brevard County’s only Federally Qualified Health Center and we offer extensive health care services on a sliding-fee scale, so that we can treat residents regardless of their ability to pay. We’re committed to providing an extraordinary quality of care for our patients to improve the health status of Brevard County. Our focus is on continually improving the quality and efficiency of our care, and on ensuring that every patient we serve is heard, encouraged, and respected. As your family health care provider, we strive to provide not just acute care but also preventive care and health care related education. Our board-certified physicians, advanced practice nurse practitioners, and physician assistance provide primary care that includes well child checkups, well woman care, and physicals, along with chronic disease management. In fact, since 2005 we’ve provided not just primary care services, but also behavioral health services, dental services, diagnostic services, resource management services, pharmacy services, women’s health care and obstetrics, Hepatitis C and HIV services, extended hours pediatric walk-in care, and specialty referrals. For more information, to find a location, or to make an appointment, contact us through our website.