A good asthma control prevents chronic and troublesome symptoms, like coughing and shortness of breath; it reduces the need for quick-relief medicines, and it helps to maintain good lung function. It also improves sleep, it helps to maintain normal activity levels, and it prevents dangerous and potentially deadly ashtma attacks. Dr. Rodney Benjamin, Critical Care…...

The most common asthma triggers are tobacco smoke, dust mites, outdoor air pollution, cockroach allergens, pets, mold, and smoke from burning wood or grass. Dr. Mario Zambrano, Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician with Homestead Hospital, says about tobacco smoke that there is a third hand smoke that stays on your clothing and hair. "Parents often say…...

Dr. Rodney Benjamin, Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine Physician with South Miami Hospital, says the most logical thing to do to avoid asthma is improving the environment. "Rather than giving medicines and getting into all the complex things, the simplest thing is keeping humidity low in your house, getting rid of pets that make you…...

Jennifer Couceyro, Advanced Registered Nurses Practitioner with Baptist Children’s Hospital, explains the diagnosis of asthma does take time. "It's not a one-time illness diagnosis, it's over a period of time; when you've had repeated exacerbations of this reactive airway condition it's when someone will finally coin the child as having asthma," she says. She also…...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 6 million children have asthma in the United States. Jennifer Couceyro, Advanced Registered Nurses Practitioner with Baptist Children’s Hospital, explains the difference between asthma in kids and adults is that the bronchioles and the whole respiratory tract in children are smaller than they are…...

Some of the signs and symptoms of asthma in children are frequent coughing, a chronic cough, less energy during play, rapid breathing, chest tightness, wheezing, loss of breath, and tightened neck and chest muscles. Jennifer Couceyro, Advanced Registered Nurses Practitioner with Baptist Children’s Hospital, says asthma can vary in children depending on their age and…...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between 2001 and 2009, people diagnosed with asthma grew by more than 4 million. Dr. Rodney Benjamin, Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine Physician with South Miami Hospital, says the increased numbers of asthma is probably just a better identification: "The state of the knowledge on asthma…...

Dr. Raul Valor, Pulmonologist with Baptist Health South Florida, explains an asthmatic airway during an asthma attack has an extreme narrowing of the lumen, and the amount of air that can get through is less than one third of what it is in a normal airway. He also points out asthma can be life-threatening. He…...