Respiratory Health
Keeping Your Asthma Under Control

It is extremely important to have an annual review for your asthma or COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) with your local GP surgery, even if you are feeling well. Research has shown that where people have an annual review, they have a better quality of life.

Most surgeries now have practice nurses with diplomas in asthma care or COPD care. They are able to offer more time to assess your condition in line with national guidelines, and perform simple lung function tests such as peak flow or spirometry. Your annual review is also an ideal opportunity to make sure you have an individualised action plan, to provide education about your condition, and to answer your questions.

If you have a preventer inhaler, make sure you are taking it as prescribed and as advised by your doctor or practice nurse. Most preventer inhalers need to be taken twice a day, every day, even when you are well, to keep asthma symptoms away and prevent an attack.

Check your peak flow readings to make sure that they are near your best. Your doctor or practice nurse can show you how to use a peak flow meter, work out what your best should be (depending on your age, sex and height).

Find out what your trigger factors are. A trigger factor is something that sets off your asthma symptoms. These can vary from person to person, and it is important to try finding out which are your own individual trigger factors, so that you can avoid them where possible. For example:

Dust (usually the house dust mite)
Furry animals such as cats and dogs
Pollen from grass and trees
Chemical smells such as perfume or cleaning fluids
Exercise
Cold weather / air
Traffic fumes
Occupation - it is very important to see your GP if you think your job is affecting your asthma

What to do if your asthma is becoming worse

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms more than twice a week, your asthma may not be fully under control:

Cough
Wheeze (noisy or squeaky breathing)
Chest tightness
Shortness of breath

A good indication of how well controlled your asthma may be, is by how much of your blue or reliever inhaler you are using. If you are needing to take your reliever (often called Salbutamol or Ventolin) more than a couple of times a week, then your asthma may not be as well controlled as it could be. If you are needing your reliever every day, then make sure you contact your GP or practice nurse straight away, as your asthma might be becoming seriously worse.

If you have a peak flow meter and know what your best peak flow reading is, then you readings should usually be about 80% of your best or more. If your peak flow is starting to fall below this, then your asthma may starting to become worse.

Seeking Help

Seek help sooner rather than later. Asthma does not always get better on its own, and the sooner you seek help, the more likely you are to recover quickly.

Call your local surgery for an appointment
Call the Asthma UK Adviceline on 0800 121 62 44 and speak directly with an asthma nurse
If you are too breathless to speak in sentences then you may need to dial 999 for an ambulance.

Thankfully, most people with asthma never experience an asthma attack, but you should always know what to do. More information about what to do in an asthma attack is available on the Asthma UK website.

For more information about asthma, visit the Asthma UK website.

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