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Minority Women's Health
Minority Women's Health

Picture of womanAsthma

Asthma is a disease of the lung airways. With asthma, the airways are inflamed (swollen) and react easily to certain "triggers," like viruses, smoke, dust, mold, animal hair, roaches, or pollen. When the inflamed airways react, they get narrow and make it hard to breathe.

Common asthma symptoms are:

  • coughing, especially at night
  • wheezing — a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe
  • shortness of breath (feeling like you can't get enough air)
  • chest tightness, pain, or pressure
  • faster breathing or noisy breathing

When these symptoms get worse, you are having an asthma attack.

The number of people with asthma keeps rising. More than 22 million people in the U.S. currently have asthma, and women are more likely to have asthma than men. African Americans go into the hospital more than whites because of asthma and are more likely to die from asthma than non-Hispanic white people.

These factors could increase your chances of getting asthma:

  • air pollution
  • poverty
  • poor housing
  • lack of education
  • not being able to get to a doctor

Asthma is different for each person. Some people find their attacks are triggered by things like smoke or being around pets. Others find that very cold air can bring on an attack. Try to figure out what your triggers are and if you can, stay away from them. Some things that may trigger an asthma attack include:

  • animals
  • smoke
  • pollen
  • dust mites
  • cold air
  • sulfites – found in dried fruits, wine, and other foods

Publications

  1. Federal resource  Asthma and Indoor Environments - This is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's web page on asthma. From this site, one may access the EPA's Asthma Newsletter, a section for children, as well as links to numerous other asthma resources.

    http://www.epa.gov/asthma/

  2. Federal resource  PDF file  Clearing the Home of Asthma Triggers: 10 Steps to Making Your Home Asthma-Friendly - This fact sheet gives 10 easy steps that you can take to reduce the risk of having asthma attacks in your home.

    http://www.epa.gov/asthma/pdfs/10_steps_en.pdf

  3. Federal resource  What People With Asthma Need to Know About Osteoporosis - This fact sheet discusses the increased risk of osteoporosis for people with asthma, and explains what steps asthmatics may take to prevent osteoporosis.

    http://www.niams.nih.gov/Health_Info/Bone/Osteoporosis/Conditions_Behaviors/asthm...

  4. American Lung Association Fact Sheet: African Americans and Lung Disease (Copyright © ALA) - This publication lists facts on the high rate of lung disease and lung cancer among the African American population. It includes statistics and discussions on factors that contribute to the disproportionately high rates of lung disease.

    http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=35976

Organizations

  1. Federal resource  Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse (IAQ INFO)
  2. Federal resource  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Information Center, NHLBI, NIH, HHS
  3. Federal resource  National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, HHS
  4. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
  5. American Lung Association
  6. Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

Federal resource = Indicates Federal Resources

Current as of December 2007

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