Asthma
Asthma is a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows a person’s airways. Some of the symptoms that affect people with asthma can include wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and tightness in the chest. About 22 million Americans suffer from asthma. Sufferers can have acute episodes or flare-ups which are frightening and can require emergency medical treatment. While asthma is usually chronic, in some cases, complete resolution of the condition can occur.
According to a review of health care utilization data at MSU done by Thomson Reuters, MSU spent more than 1.3 million dollars on medical treatment related to Asthma in fiscal year 2007-08. According to the same review, only 60 percent of asthma patients in the MSU population used the maintenance drugs typically recommended to control asthma in fiscal year 2007-08. Getting appropriate maintenance care and following your medical team's medication and lifestyle recommendations can help people with asthma manage the condition and experience fewer frightening and costly flare-ups. The most important lifestyle decision you can make to manage asthma is to avoid smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke.
If you or a member of your family has asthma, we recommend you learn as much as possible about the condition. You can find a great deal of useful information on the National Institutes of Health Web site on Asthma.
As always, talk with your own medical team about information you read online before making any decisions about your health care. If you have asthma, working with your medical team to manage it can pay off in better health for you and decreased costs for MSU in the long run.
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