FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 05 2021
Contact: Jon Ebelt, Public Information Officer, DPHHS, (406) 444-0936, (406) 461-3757, jebelt@mt.gov
Chuck Council, Communications Specialist, DPHHS, (406) 444-4391, (406) 461-8367, hcouncil@mt.gov
DPHHS Raising Awareness about Health Impacts Caused by Asthma
May 5 is World Asthma Day
Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) officials say that 22 million people in the United States and over 100,000 people in Montana have asthma, affecting nearly seven percent of the state’s children and 10 percent of adults.
DPHHS interim State Medical Officer Dr. Maggie Cook-Shimanek said that asthma attacks cause adults to miss work and children to miss school.
The condition can cause wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness, and coughing. While asthma cannot be cured, it is possible to manage asthma to reduce and prevent asthma attacks.
“Children, as well as adults, need to know what they can do to reduce the risk factors for severe asthma attacks,” Cook-Shimanek said. “People can prevent asthma attacks by avoiding triggers like tobacco smoke, mold, outdoor air pollution, and colds and flu. Attacks can also be avoided by adhering to an asthma action plan, appropriately using rescue inhalers, and taking inhaled corticosteroids or other prescribed daily long-term control medicines correctly. The flu and COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for eligible populations to protect against asthma exacerbation resulting from viral illness.”
Asthma attacks can be dangerous and cause life-threatening episodes that have the potential to reduce a person’s quality of life. On average, severe asthma cases in Montana result in 2,318 emergency department visits and 459 hospitalizations annually, costing millions in medical expenses.
To raise awareness about the health consequences and personal and financial costs of asthma, the DPHHS Asthma Control Program is drawing attention to these issues today and all month in honor of World Asthma Day and Asthma Awareness Month.
The theme for World Asthma Day 2021 is Uncovering Asthma Misconceptions.
This year’s theme provides a call to action to address common widely held myths and misconceptions concerning asthma that prevent individuals from managing their health with the best knowledge and tools available.
Common misconceptions surrounding asthma include:
- Asthma is a childhood disease; individuals will grow out of it as they age.
- Asthma is infectious.
- Asthma sufferers should not exercise.
- Asthma is only controllable with high dose steroids.
The truth is:
- Asthma can occur at any age (in children, adolescents, adults and elderly)
- Asthma is not infectious. However, viral respiratory infections (such as common cold and the flu) can cause asthma attacks. Or in children, asthma is frequently associated with allergy, but asthma which starts in adulthood is less often allergic.
- When asthma is well controlled, people with asthma are able to exercise and even perform at the highest level of their sport.
- Asthma is most often controllable with low dose inhaled steroids.
In 2010, DPHHS created the Montana Asthma Home Visiting Program (MAP) to help people gain control over their condition. The MAP is open for enrollment to anyone with uncontrolled asthma living in one of the 25 counties served by local MAP sites.
The MAP involves six points of contact over a 12-month period with a nurse or respiratory therapist trained in asthma education and environmental trigger control. Clients receive asthma education, a home environmental assessment, allergen-proof pillowcases, mattress covers, and a HEPA air purifier.
Results from visits with over 600 Montanans, primarily children, show that participants report missing fewer days of school due to asthma while participating in the program and visit the emergency department less frequently than before entering the program. Nearly all participants have good inhaler technique and an asthma action plan upon completing the program.
More information on the MAP and other Montana Asthma Control Program activities