Asthma is a chronic, recurrent condition affecting the airways. In response to triggers, such as smoke, allergies, and viral infections, among others, the airways become inflamed and the muscles surrounding airways tighten. This causes cough, wheeze, and shortness of breath. It can significantly interfere with routine activities, and over time can lead to lung damage. Severe attacks are serious medical emergencies. Asthma cannot be cured, but it can be controlled with trigger avoidance and medication.
Treatments
Because asthma is so variable, there is no one size fits all approach to controlling asthma. At Pediatric Associates of Gresham, we are committed to developing an individualized plan to help your child achieve good control of her asthma symptoms through our Asthma Quality Control Program.
Asthma Well Checks consist largely of a conversation to get a detailed picture of your child’s asthma symptoms and may include an in office test called spirometry to measure lung function. We may also suggest other testing, such as allergy testing. We will help you to recognize your child’s individual triggers and educate you and your child about the medications used to control his asthma. Since asthma can change over time, we have contact with families at least once per year. Our Asthma Quality Control Program involves clinic visits or phone calls, or both. In cases where asthma is classified as persistent, contact is more frequent. We advise annual vaccination against influenza for all children with asthma.
Our Asthma Goal
With good control, your child will sleep through the night without asthma symptoms, be able to participate in all physical activities, not miss school, and avoid hospitalizations and emergency room visits due to asthma. Medication is adjusted as needed, with a goal of needing to use rescue medication no more than twice weekly during the day, twice monthly for night time symptoms, and not needing to refill rescue inhaler medications more than twice yearly.
At Pediatric Associates of Gresham, we will help you and your child recognize and treat the occasional asthma flare quickly and confidently, and achieve the best possible control over asthma.