Control your asthma so your asthma doesn't control you.

The John Esall / John Wood & Sarah E Nash are Centers of Excellence for Asthma.

Our specialists have expertise with:

	Asthma not responding to treatment		Triad asthma		Nocturnal asthma
	Increasing asthma management skills		High-risk asthma		Occupational asthma
	Identifying triggers		Steroid-resistant asthma

ASTHMA FACTS

• Asthma is a chronic lung disease characterized by inflammation. Because of airway inflammation, people with asthma have increased sensitivity to a variety of triggers. When exposed to these triggers, airway inflammation may worsen, airways spasm, or narrow, mucus secretion increases, and breathing becomes difficult.

• Asthma affects 14.6 million Americans. Of that number, 4.8 million are children under the age of 18.

• Asthma is the number one cause of school absences attributed to a chronic condition.

• More than 5,000 people in the United States die each year from asthma.

• Direct and indirect costs of asthma care exceed $6 billion each year. This includes loss of time from work and school, and medical costs.

• Early warning signs of asthma include feeling tired, itchy throat, runny nose, a constricted feeling in the chest, headache and a change in the color, amount or thickness of sputum (mucus).

• An asthma attack usually involves wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest.

• Life-threatening asthma symptoms include difficulty concentrating or talking, difficulty catching your breath, nasal flaring (nostril size increases with breath) and cyanosis (gray or bluish tint to skin, beginning around the mouth).

For more information, call Asthma Actionlineat (212) 305-0631