Asthma Treatment Doctor Q&A

Although asthma has been around for several decades, doctors and scientists still don’t know for sure what causes it. Despite not knowing the cause, several factors seem to increase the likelihood of someone developing asthma at some point in their life. While asthma typically develops during childhood, it can develop or be diagnosed later on in childhood or even in adults. The factors that seem to increase the chances of a person developing asthma in their lifetime include genetics, allergies, respiratory infections, and certain environmental factors. Genetics plays a part, with asthma tending to run in families, particularly if a mom or dad has it, their children are very likely to have it as well. Allergies and asthma are separate conditions but have close links when it comes to certain types of allergies. Children who experience a respiratory infection in infancy or at some point in their early childhood seem more likely to develop asthma due to the damage from the infection impacting the ongoing lung functions. In early childhood and infancy, exposure to certain irritants, pollution, allergens, or viral infections when the lungs are still developing has been linked to the development of asthma. For adult-onset asthma, exposure to dust, pollutants, and certain chemicals in a workplace is commonly linked to the development of asthma later in life.

Unfortunately, there is no cure for asthma at this time, as the exact cause of the condition isn’t known. In some cases, kids who develop asthma at a young age may outgrow it as they get older and grow into adults. In other cases, people may experience relief from their asthma symptoms when they move to a different city, change work environments, or experience any other type of change to their environment that eliminates one or more of their triggers. Although asthma can’t be cured, there are many treatment options available for asthma sufferers to help them to manage their symptoms and treat an asthma attack when it happens. The primary goal of treating asthma is to find the triggers of an attack and build a preventative plan to try to prevent an attack from happening in the first place. Working with a doctor familiar with treating asthma will help to find the best course of action for preventative treatment of asthma attacks, as well as provide patients with an option for immediate relief should they encounter a trigger and have a sudden asthma attack.

Asthma treatment will vary from one person to the next depending on the severity of their symptoms or condition and what triggers their asthma attacks. The main goal of asthma treatment is to take any necessary steps to avoid an asthma attack from happening. This means determining the triggers for each patient’s asthma and figuring out how to avoid them. It isn’t always possible to avoid all triggers, and the triggers can change as people grow older. Therefore, treatment can also include regular, often daily, administration of preventative asthma medication. This can be found in the form of an inhaler or through oral medications. Even with preventative treatment, patients will need to closely monitor themselves for new triggers or symptoms developing despite the current course of treatment. This may mean the medications need to be adjusted, which is normal throughout the course of a person’s life. Most people with asthma will also have a quick-relief asthma inhaler to have on hand at all times. This is for use when they come into contact with an unavoidable trigger and start experiencing an asthma attack. The quick-relief inhaler will quickly open up the airways, allowing the patient to be able to breathe normally again.

For the treatment of asthma, people can see one of the trained doctors at Nova Patient Care to discuss their treatment options. We serve patients from Woodbridge VA, Bethel VA, Dale City VA, Old Town Alexandria VA, Huntington VA, Fort Hunt VA, Arlington VA, Mclean VA, Idylwood VA, Kingstowne Center Alexandria VA, Franconia VA, Newington VA, Falls Church VA, Annandale VA, Tysons VA, Richmond Hwy Alexandria VA, Pentagon City Arlington VA, Seven Corners VA, Lake Barcroft, VA and surrounding areas.