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How to Avoid Asthma Attacks

Summary & Participants

If you've ever experienced an asthma attack, you know how frustrating and unpleasant it can be. Fortunately, many attacks can be prevented once you've identified your personal triggers. Join Dr. Chris Winslow for some helpful tips on getting through your day attack-free.

Medically Reviewed On: June 25, 2008

Webcast Transcript

VAREN BLACK: Hi, I'm Varen Black. Our topic today is asthma prevention, and my guest is Dr. Chris Winslow, a pulmonologist and asthma specialist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Dr. Winslow, in simple terms, what is asthma?

CHRIS WINSLOW, MD: Asthma is a disorder in which there is a swelling in the tubes that line the lungs. This swelling is the result of an inflammation, and it makes the airways of a person's lungs much more sensitive to things that they may be exposed to in their environment.

VAREN BLACK: What are some of the symptoms of asthma?

CHRIS WINSLOW, MD: The symptoms can be cough, wheezing, and shortness of breath. Chest tightness is also a symptom that can be found in asthma.

VAREN BLACK: What causes asthma? Is there a genetic factor?

CHRIS WINSLOW, MD: Well, it's not really clear exactly what causes asthma. It is known that it is a genetic disease. Asthma tends to be transmitted in families and among family members. There's a likelihood to inherit the propensity to develop asthma, but likely it's that plus exposure to things in your environment which may be what actually bring the disorder to develop.

VAREN BLACK: Is it true that asthma has become more common in recent years, and if so, why?

CHRIS WINSLOW, MD: That is true, and it is something that people are intensely studying right now. Asthma is a disease of urbanization, and I think as we spend more time in closed environments and as we tend to live more in cities, we're finding that asthma is more prevalent.

VAREN BLACK: What about having infections as children? I guess you develop problems as you get older?

CHRIS WINSLOW, MD: There is some evidence to suggest that infections at particularly sensitive times in a child's life or in a child who has a predisposition for asthma may increase the likelihood that they will develop asthma symptoms later on.

VAREN BLACK: Any special vaccines out there to prevent asthma?

CHRIS WINSLOW, MD: No, there really aren't. This is a disorder that the cause of which is really unknown, so there are no vaccines that can prevent you from developing asthma.

VAREN BLACK: How do doctors figure out what triggers asthma attacks in a particular patient?

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