Media Advisory: Asthma Exacerbations Coincide With Back-to-School Season

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 12 Jul 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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For most children, heading back to school this fall means heading back to an environment filled with new friends, teachers and opportunities. However, for the more than one in every 20 children affected by asthma (1), a new school year means exposure to triggers that may aggravate asthma symptoms.

Recent studies show that asthma attacks increase in the back-to-school months, and that asthma emergency room and hospitalization rates spike in September.(2) Asthma is also the most common cause of school absenteeism due to chronic disease, and accounts for an annual loss of more than 14 million school days per year.(1) Fortunately, there are ways parents can help manage their child's asthma symptoms.

For example, parents can work with their child's physician to identify potential asthma triggers at school such as chalk dust, mold and dust mites in the classroom and outdoor allergens at recess. In addition, parents must be aware that respiratory infections like a cold or the flu during the fall season may contribute to an increase in asthma exacerbations.(3) Once relevant triggers have been identified and increasing asthma symptoms are addressed, parents should talk to the physician about appropriate maintenance treatment options and the development of an Asthma Action Plan to share with school staff.(4)

To help your readers understand the impact of the back-to-school season on asthmatic children, asthma specialist Dr. Barbara Yawn is available to provide tips for managing symptoms in the school setting and can address some of the following questions:

-- Why are the back-to-school months troubling for asthmatic children?
-- What are some asthma triggers that can aggravate symptoms this time of year?
-- What steps can parents and children take to manage asthma symptoms?
-- Which treatment options are available for children with asthma?
-- What is an Asthma Action Plan?

ABOUT DR. BARBARA YAWN

Dr. Barbara Yawn is board-certified in family medicine. She is the Director of Research at Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota, and adjunct professor of family and community health at the Medical School at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Dr. Yawn is a member of the Expert Review Panel that developed the 2007 National guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. She has been a member of the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) coordinating committee since 1997, and a member of the panels that developed the International Primary Care Guidelines for Respiratory Disease for WHO as well as the international panel for Allergic Rhinitis in Asthma (ARIA). She earned her medical degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia and completed a residency and master's degree in family medicine and public health at the University of Minnesota, a second Master's degree in statistics at the University of Michigan and has years of experience in medical research, family practice and research consulting.

References:

(1) "Asthma Facts and Figures." Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America, 2005. http://www.aafa.org/display.cfm?id=8&sub=42

(2) Johnston, NW et al. The September Epidemic of Asthma Hospitalization: School Children as Disease Vectors. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. March 2006. Vol. 117(3); 557-562.

(3) Murray et al. Allergens, Viruses, and Asthma Exacerbations. Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society. 2004. Vol 1; 99 - 104.

(4) "A Guide for Parents of Children with Asthma." American Lung Association. http://www.lungusa.org.

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