South Carolina Medicaid: Asthma

Asthma is a disease that affects the lungs. In most cases, we don’t know:

• What causes asthma
• How to cure asthma

If you have asthma, you can control it¹ by:

• Knowing the warning signs of an attack
• Staying away from things that trigger an attack
• Following your doctor’s advice about your asthma

Asthma in children

Asthma² is one of the most common long-term diseases of children, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A child who has asthma has asthma all the time. A child only will have an asthma attack when something bothers his or her lungs.

If you think your child has asthma, talk to your doctor. Your doctor may prescribe an inhaler for your child to use when he or she has an asthma attack.

Want to learn how to use an inhaler? Or want to help a child get comfortable with an inhaler? Check out this video from the CDC about how to use an asthma inhaler. opens in new window

Asthma triggers

If you have asthma, many things indoors can cause an asthma attack. Some common triggers include:³

• Chemical irritants opens in new window
• Cockroaches and pests opens in new window
• Dust mites opens in new window
• Molds opens in new window
• Nitrogen dioxide opens in new window
• Outdoor air pollution opens in new window
• Pets opens in new window
• Secondhand smoke opens in new window
• Wood smoke opens in new window

Talk to your doctor about:

• Your triggers
• A potential treatment plan
• How to reduce exposure to asthma triggers

Asthma action plan

If you have asthma, ask your doctor about helping you with an asthma action plan. An asthma action plan encourages self-management of asthma and includes:

• A list of asthma triggers
• Emergency telephone numbers
• Information about how to avoid asthma triggers
• Instructions for taking asthma medicine
• Information on what to do during an asthma episode
• Instructions on when to call a doctor

Sources

1. Asthma. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/ opens in new window . Last accessed on December 9, 2024.
2. About Asthma. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/about/?CDC_AAref_Val=https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/faqs.html opens in new window . Last accessed on December 9, 2024.
3. Asthma Triggers: Gain Control. The Environmental Protection Agency. https://www.epa.gov/asthma/asthma-triggers-gain-control. opens in new window Last accessed on December 9, 2024.