Roughly 1 in 12 Americans — both children and adults — struggle with asthma, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. White Plains, Maryland’s leading asthma experts Song C. Chon, MD and Abbas Omais, MD, of the Lung & Sleep Institute, offer the latest in industry treatments. If you have asthma or are experiencing difficulty breathing, schedule an evaluation right away. Book through the online scheduler, or call the clinic.
Asthma is a chronic condition that leads to narrowing and swelling of your airways. Because you’re also likely to produce extra mucus, breathing can become difficult. Asthma is known for causing:
Since asthma affects your breathing, you might find it difficult to get a full night’s sleep. Many people who suffer from asthma experience daytime grogginess or fatigue because the condition affects their sleep quality.
It’s believed that asthma develops because of a combination of environmental and genetic factors. You’re more likely to develop asthma if you:
Some men and women develop asthma because of exposure to occupational triggers. For instance, if you’re a hairdresser or a farmer, breathing in strong fumes and chemicals can lead to asthma.
Dr. Chon and Dr. Omais evaluate you by listening to your lungs, going over your symptoms, and possibly ordering a chest X-ray to rule out other issues. Generally, to confirm an asthma diagnosis, you need to have a pulmonary function test, such as a spirometry or peak flow test.
With the spirometry test, you exhale into a specialized device that measures how quickly you can breathe out. With a peak flow test, you exhale into a machine that evaluates how hard you breathe out.
These tests, which are performed right in the office at the Lung & Sleep Institute, require you to take a bronchodilator medication to open up your airways afterward. If your lung function improves after taking this medication, chances are, you have asthma.
While no cure for asthma exists, you can get treatment to manage the condition and improve your quality of life with the help of the team at the Lung & Sleep Institute. Asthma treatment includes a combination of short and long acting preventive measures for asthma attacks.
In many cases, this involves determining if you have allergies and possibly taking allergy medications. Your treatment can also include:
Many of these treatments help open up your airways and relax muscles around your airways, which makes it easier for you to breathe.
Schedule your asthma evaluation at the Lung & Sleep Institute either through the online booking system or by calling the office.
