Living Well 60+ January-February 2014

Aging With Asthma
JAN/FEB 2 0 1 4
Though there’s no cure, it’s possible to
live well with the condition
by Jamie Lober, Staff Writer
Asthma is a condition that
changes during different ages and
stages of your life.
“Usually it is recognized early
in children because they have
allergic components, like watery
eyes, runny nose and persistent
chest colds, whereas in adults it
is manifested differently,” said
Kurt Hohenecker, who works in
respiratory care at Central Baptist
Hospital in Lexington.
Some people are more susceptible
to asthma than others. “Sometimes
people are so sensitive that
strong fumes like colognes can set
their breathing problems off and
set asthma into overdrive,” said
Hohenecker.
By understanding what is happening,
you can get a better
grasp of just what asthma is and
what it does. “The body releases
histamines in response to allergic
components,” said Hohenecker.
“Sometimes the patient will inhale
cold air, and the airways are sensitive,
which causes bronchospasms.
Or nothing may set it off and it
just happens.”
Diagnosing asthma can be
complex; it involves a physical
exam and a checking of breathing
sounds. “The physician would
want to do spirometry testing,”
said Hohenecker. “It involves the
patient blowing out as hard and
fast as they can [into a] device
[that] measures airway obstruction,
which is how much of the
airways are collapsing due to
allergic components.”
As with any condition, some
people do better with asthma than
others. “A lot depends on how severe
your attacks are and how well
you do with the regimen,” said
Hohenecker. “For some people it
does not get them down, and others
it seems to wipe out.”
There is no surefire prevention for
asthma, but some tips work for all
ages. “Be aware of your surroundings,”
said Hohenecker. “You
might have something setting off
your asthma, like in spring when
things are in bloom or in winter
where you forget to change the
furnace filters often enough and
there is dust in your home.”
Some new medications are now
available to treat asthma. “There
are some pill-form medications
that a patient can take now,” said
1 1
Hohenecker. “There is always
a new blood thinner or cholesterol
medication coming out, but
asthma seems to lag behind all the
time.”
People need to know that asthma
can become more severe at any
time, which makes it critical to
take medications as they are
prescribed. “If you cannot afford
them as prescribed, you need to
check into some of the programs
that a lot of companies have where
there are medications at a reduced
fee,” said Hohenecker.
Asthma is a lifelong challenge.
“As you get older, you become
less sensitized and do better as
an adult,” said Hohenecker. To
combat asthma, adults use rescue
inhalers and some type of maintenance
inhaler, such as corticosteroid.
While it can be hard work, it
is possible to live well even with
asthma.
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