HHS HealthBeat (October 11, 2007)

Updates on asthma

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Hannah Olson, who’s nine, has asthma:

``It’s really scary, and it feels like you can’t breathe. But then you have like an inhaler or nebulizer. It helps you a lot.’’  (11 seconds)

To help children and grown-ups with asthma, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program has updated its guidelines.

The guidelines stress that asthma can be controlled. For many patients, this means taking medicine dailyto prevent symptoms.

The recommendations add a section that’s specific for children ages 5 to 11 because their needs and response to treatment differs from younger kids and adults.

There also are steps for parents and kids, such as following a written action plan on managing asthma, sharing it with teachers and coaches – and avoiding things that make asthma worse.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: May, 26 2008