service / Asthma

Well-managed asthma results in less breathing difficulty and fewer frightening asthma attacks. If you or your child has asthma, the experienced providers at First Care Bossier in Bossier City and Stonewall, Louisiana, can help. The practice provides ongoing care for people with asthma. Find out how the providers can help you manage asthma by calling your nearest location today or book an in-person or telehealth appointment online.

What is asthma?

Asthma is a common disease that affects your airways, making them swollen and inflamed. The inflammation and swelling cause increased sensitivity, so the tissues are likely to be highly reactive to irritants that you breathe in.

The allergic response to irritants increases swelling and triggers the production of thicker mucus in your airways. All these factors combine to limit your air intake, so you struggle to breathe.

A severe asthma attack can cause dangerous airway constriction and starve your vital organs of oxygen.

What symptoms does asthma cause?

Asthma symptoms become most severe during an attack but are often minimal in-between attacks. Typical asthma attack symptoms include:

• Chest tightness
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Coughing
• Faster breathing rate
• Difficulty talking

The severity of an attack can vary. Sometimes you might have a mild flare-up, but you could also experience potentially life-threatening breathing difficulties on other occasions.

Why do I have asthma?

The exact cause of asthma is unclear, but certain risk factors increase your chances of developing this condition, such as:

Family history

If other members of your family have asthma, hay fever (allergic rhinitis), or eczema, your risk of developing asthma is higher.

Age

Asthma typically develops during childhood and is the most common chronic health problem in the under 18s. Sometimes, asthma gets better in adulthood and may resolve completely in some people.

Smoking

Smokers have more chance of developing adult asthma than nonsmokers. Children who suffer exposure to secondhand smoke also have an increased risk of asthma.

What triggers asthma attacks?

The irritants that most often trigger asthma attacks are similar to those that affect people with allergies, such as:

• Pet dander
• Pollen
• Smoke
• Mold
• Cleaning products
• Dust mites
• Air pollution
• Weather

Exercise can also cause asthma attacks and is the main trigger for people with exercise-induced asthma (EIA).

You can help prevent asthma attacks and reduce their severity if you identify your triggers and try to avoid them.

What treatments are there for asthma?

Asthma is incurable at present, but you can manage the condition with medication. First Care Bossier provides:

Quick-relief asthma treatment

Quick-relief asthma treatment involves using an inhaler. This device contains a medication that you breathe in when you’re having an asthma attack.

Long-term asthma control medications

You take long-term asthma control medicines every day to help prevent asthma attacks and reduce the severity of your symptoms.

Newer types of treatments called biologics are also proving promising for treating asthma. Biologics are extracts of living tissues that help control the cells and antibodies causing airway inflammation.

To benefit from expert asthma care and support, call First Care Bossier today or book an appointment online.