Asthma is one of the UK’s most common long-term respiratory (airways) diseases with approximately 5.4million people currently receiving treatment for it. It is caused by inflammation of the airways, which can be triggered in multiple situations and leads to restricted breathing. This may present as a wheeze or chronic cough.
It is a very variable condition with a huge range in severity and frequency of symptoms between patients. In fact, every patient’s asthma is different and the amount their symptoms effect their lifestyle may vary at different stages in their life. At its most serious, an asthma attack can be fatal so early recognition and treatment is therefore essential to prevent this.
For this reason we at the surgery take Asthma management very seriously and want to ensure that patients with asthma are reviewed annually to ensure they have a good understanding of their condition and are on optimal treatment.
What can you do to help yourself if you have a diagnosis of Asthma?
- Read up on Asthma from the links below. As prevention of asthma attacks is key- the more you understand about your condition, the better you can manage it.
- Ensure you always book and attend your annual reviews. This is the best way to ensure you are on the correct treatment as your requirements may vary at different times.
- Ensure you put in your medication/inhaler prescription requests in time so that you do not risk running out in an emergency. Equally, if you notice that your inhaler use has increased please book an appointment to come in for a review.
For convenience we try to arrange our annual reviews around the date of your birthday, but obviously if there is any worsening of symptoms please do not hesitate to book an appointment or ask to speak to a doctor or nurse.
For further information on asthma, please go to www.asthma.org.uk