Breathing is something most people take for granted — except for those with severe asthma. Asthma narrows the airways in your lungs to the point where it can be hard to catch your breath.
Our providers at Texas Allergy & Breathing Centers aim to help with reducing hospital readmissions for patients, and manage pulmonary diseases. At our 3 locations we are available to provide treatment, as well as at hospitals/skilled-nursing facilities around the DFW area.
Breathing
- Have you experienced shortness of breath or the feeling of fatigue caused by a struggle to breathe?
- You may have COPD.
- COPD is a condition that makes it difficult to empty the air out of the lungs. Not to be confused with asthma, COPD does include chronic bronchitis, emphysema or a combination of both.
- COPD is both preventable and treatable.
- The symptoms can be treated, and in some cases improved, by not smoking and taking medications but the shortness of breath and fatigue may never completely go away.
- Chronic means that the disease can last for a long time. Although symptoms may come and go, for the most part COPD is there for life.
- The good news is that patients can and do manage their condition. It does not prevent them from leading a full and active life.
Chronic bronchitis is where there is increased swelling and mucus production in the airway.
The symptoms of chronic bronchitis can be manifested as a cough that produces mucus or phlegm for an extended time of months or years.
Smoking is one of the most common causes of COPD. Stopping smoking is the first and most important treatment for COPD.
Asthma
Asthma is the chronic inflammation, swelling and narrowing of the airways (bronchial tubes) in the lungs and affects more than 22 million Americans, including 9 million children.
Symptoms can include:
- Frequent Coughing Spells
- Low Energy
- Rapid Breathing
- Chest Tightness or Pain
- Wheezing
- Shortness of Breath
- Tightened Neck and Chest Muscles
- Feelings of Weakness or Tiredness
The exact cause of Asthma is not known, but many treatments are available to control the disease and symptoms are generally totally reversible with treatment.
- Asthma has become the most common chronic childhood illness, affecting 1 in every 15 children in the U.S.
- Both the number of new cases and the annual rate of hospitalization for asthma have increased about 30% over the past 20 years and despite advances in treatment, asthma deaths among young people have more than doubled over that period.
- In most cases, the disease starts in early childhood from 2 to 6 years of age, with researchers finding that around 80% of all cases are caused by or associated with allergies such as dust mites, pollen, mold, animal dander or tobacco smoke.
- Asthma can also be triggered by colds, flu or other illness, stress, cold, windy weather or sudden weather changes.
- Adult asthma affects approximately 1 in every 20 adults in the U.S. Many of these cases strike those who thought they had “outgrown” asthma.
- You cannot outgrow asthma.
- In about 50% of children with asthma, the condition may become inactive in the teenage years but symptoms may recur anytime during adulthood.
- Studies show that, in as many as 75% of all cases of childhood asthma, the asthma reappears in later life.
Monday – Thursday:
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Friday:
8:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday:
Closed
Sunday:
Closed