Asthma is a chronic and frightening condition that affects people of all ages. Family care physician Eileen DiGregorio, DO, treats asthma in-house at her practice in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, so you don’t need to see a separate asthma specialist. If you or a loved one needs asthma treatment from a friendly and caring doctor, call or click online to request an appointment with Dr. DiGregorio today.
Asthma is a potentially serious medical condition that causes your airways to narrow, swell, and produce excess mucus. This string of events reduces the amount of oxygen reaching your lungs and can make it difficult to breathe, or it can trigger a fit of coughing or wheezing.
When you have asthma, your airways are always inflamed. This inflammation may worsen in the presence of a certain trigger, such as exercise or exposure to an allergen. When your symptoms worsen suddenly and you feel like you can’t breathe, that’s called an asthma attack.
People of all ages can get asthma, but it’s most commonly diagnosed in children. Among the 25 million known asthma sufferers in the United States, 7 million are children.
Certain factors may increase your risk of getting asthma, such as:
Asthma triggers, symptoms, and severity all vary greatly from one person to another. You may experience asthma attacks only rarely, or have lingering symptoms all the time.
Common asthma signs and symptoms include:
A variety of substances and situations may worsen asthma symptoms. Common asthma triggers include:
Although there’s no cure for asthma, many people maintain normal, happy lives by managing their symptoms. Dr. DiGregorio works with you to discover your unique triggers and set of symptoms so you can do your best to avoid a full-on asthma attack.
In addition to helping you identify and avoid asthma triggers, Dr. DiGregorio may prescribe medications or an asthma inhaler to reduce your symptoms and help control asthma attacks.
If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of asthma, call the office of Dr. DiGregorio or request an appointment online today.