Breathe Easily: Winter Asthma Advice

As winter weather rolls in, so do colds and flu. But for those with asthma, it can be an especially stressful time of year because even a simple cold virus can trigger a major asthma event.

"In asthma, the lungs are already irritable and more reactive. So any virus that impacts the lungs has a propensity for creating more problems, including bringing on an asthma event faster and easier than many people realize," says Jonathan Field, MD, director of the Allergy and Asthma Clinic at NYU Medical Center/Bellevue Hospital in New York City.

And that, experts tell WebMD, is more likely to happen during the fall and winter months. In one study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology in 2005, researchers identified what they came to call the "September epidemic," an upswing in the number of children admitted to emergency rooms for the treatment of acute asthma symptoms in the fall months.

The study concluded that one reason behind the increase was the start of the school season -- and a greater exposure to cold and flu viruses.

While you or your child may not be able to avoid these exposures, there are ways to stay safe and healthy. Among the most important: Take control of your winter asthma symptoms before other problems occur.

This simple tenet is so important that in new guidelines set down by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) in August 2007, doctors put special emphasis on the need to encourage better day-to-day symptom control.

"Asthma affects over 22 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, but there is one truth: Asthma control is achievable for nearly every patient ... As health care providers, we should accept nothing less," NHLBI Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, MD, said when the new guidelines were introduced.

A good way to gain control is to become more vigilant about taking your regular asthma medications.

"This is especially [important] in patients who have been noncompliant with their asthma regimens in the past," says Len Horovitz, MD, a pulmonary specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

Because many patients feel better in warm weather, by the time fall and winter roll around they may see less of a need to take the drugs designed to control their asthma symptoms. But this, says Field, is a huge mistake.

"If there is any time of the year to be more compliant about your medication, it's certainly the start of the winter season," he says.

The new NHLBI report recommends the use of daily inhaled corticosteroid medications to prevent problems in young children during cold and flu season.

Your Winter Asthma Action Plan

Another way to avoid problems -- during the winter or anytime -- is to create and stick to an asthma action plan. This is an organized system of care that can help you triage your symptoms in the event a problem does occur.