Asthma Care

About 25 million people in the U.S. have asthma. This chronic (long-term, ongoing) condition can be disruptive and life-threatening. While asthma cannot be cured, it can be controlled with the right care plan. If you’re referred to the Rutland Pulmonary Center, our expert team will work to find out what’s causing your symptoms – and keep them under control.

If your doctor thinks you might have asthma, ask for a referral to the Rutland Pulmonary Center and get the care you need to manage this chronic condition.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a disease that causes inflammation (your body’s natural response to infections and injuries) in your lungs and airways. Inflammation can cause swelling, making it hard to breathe. When you have asthma, your symptoms only happen when something bothers your lungs.

Asthma Symptoms

Asthma attacks happen when someone with asthma is exposed to an “asthma trigger.” Asthma triggers are different for everyone, so knowing yours will help you avoid or manage an attack. Triggers include cold temperatures, allergies, smoke, exercise, and more.

Asthma symptoms include:

• Trouble breathing
• Cough
• Chest tightness
• Wheezing (a whistling or rattling sound in your chest)

What Causes Asthma?

Researchers are still studying why some people have asthma. If you have asthma, your airways react differently to certain “triggers” like air pollution, dust mites, exercise, smoke, or even strong smells.

These are some reasons you might develop asthma:

• Family history
• Allergies
• Respiratory infections
• Workplace exposures to dust, fumes, vapors, or mold
• Smoking
• Air pollution
• Obesity

Asthma Diagnosis

If you or your child have asthma-like symptoms, it’s important to see a doctor. Your doctor will check your lungs and ask you questions about your family history, allergies, home, and workplace.

After talking with you to understand what might be causing your symptoms, your doctor may refer you to the Rutland Pulmonary Center for specialized testing and treatment. Our board-certified staff will use proven testing methods to figure out if you have asthma and how best to manage your symptoms.

How to Test for Asthma

Your care team will use lung function tests to test for asthma. Lung function tests measure your breathing and check how well your lungs are working. The most common test for asthma, spirometry, measures how much air your lungs can hold.

In addition to spirometry, other asthma tests include:

• Allergy testing (blood or skin)
• Blood testing
• FeNO test or exhaled nitric oxide test
• Methacholine challenge test

Our pulmonary function technologists will work with you to quickly find the cause of your symptoms.

Asthma Treatment

Our team will work with you to create a personal asthma action plan for you and your lifestyle, including medication and education to help you recognize and prevent flare-ups. We provide one on one sessions including:

• How to manage your asthma triggers
• How to use a peak flow meter to measure airflow in and out of your lungs
• How and when to use both daily and quick-relief (rescue) medications

We’ll also help you schedule appointments and decide how often you’ll need to see your doctor.

Your Asthma Action Plan

Our goal is to help you prevent and control asthma attacks. We’ll work with you to create an action plan with information and steps to manage asthma. This will help not only you and your family, but also other caregivers, teachers, school nurses, and staff. The plan describes what to do in each situation:

• When you’re doing well and don’t have symptoms
• When you’re having some symptoms and can’t do your normal activities
• When you’re having a lot of trouble breathing and medicines aren’t helping

Download a pdf of the Annual Asthma Action Plan template, provided by the Vermont Department of Health.