Asthma
At Allergy, Asthma & Sinus Center, our board-certified allergy and asthma specialists are trained in the diagnosis and treatment of asthma disorders in Sterling, Leesburg, and Purcellville, VA. Our specialists are trained to identify the factors that trigger asthma and to help our patients treat their respiratory problems in Sterling, Leesburg, and Purcellville, VA.
Asthma is a chronic disease that involves inflammation and narrowing of the airways, resulting in decreased airflow, mucus production, and symptoms such as wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. When you control your asthma, you can avoid asthma attacks and live an active life.
Asthma symptoms can be mild and infrequent, or more severe and result in asthma flare ups or attacks. Asthma attacks are often caused by allergies and exposure to allergens such as pet dander, dust mites, pollen or mold. Other non-allergic triggers include smoke, pollution or changes in temperature. Asthma symptoms may be worse during exercise, when you have an upper respiratory infection or during stress. It is helpful to determine your triggers and get tested to see if allergies are contributing factors to your asthma disorder in Sterling, Leesburg, or Purcellville, VA.
Asthma Diagnosis
At Allergy, Asthma & Sinus Center, our specialists diagnose asthma dsorders in Sterling, Leesburg, and Purcellville. We take a thorough medical history and performing breathing tests to measure how well your lungs work.
A simple breathing test called spirometry can be done during your office visit to help diagnose and categorize your asthma disorder. You will take a deep breath and blow into a sensor to measure your air flow and the force with which you exhale. This test helps diagnose the severity of your asthma without any medications. Our specialists will take the results of your history and spirometry test to determine the proper classification of your of asthma risk and severity.
Your asthma classification is based on the frequency of your symptoms in the day and night, with and without medications, and is also based on the results of your breathing test. The categories include intermittent and persistent asthma; persistent asthma is further categorized into mild, moderate and severe persistent asthma. This classification allows the allergist to start the appropriate medication, and adjust the dosing of the treatment to achieve optimal control of your astham disorder.
Another test to diagnose and monitor your asthma is called the exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) test. We are one of the few practices in the area that offer this unique breathing test to differentiate allergic asthma from other respiratory disorders in Sterling, Leesburg, and Purcellville. This simple, quick and non-invasive procedure will help us to better manage your asthma. The patient simply inhales deeply and exhales through a disposable filter. This test works by measuring Nitric Oxide (NO) in human breath. Exhaled nitric oxide is a sensitive marker for airway inflammation, and can help predict the onset of asthma symptoms or loss of asthma control.
Asthma Treatment
Your asthma symptoms can be controlled with effective asthma treatment in Sterling, leesburg, and Purcellville. This involves taking your medications as directed and learning to avoid triggers that cause your asthma symptoms. Asthma treatment can vary from asthma inhalers to a nebulizer, otherwise known as a breathing machine.
There are two general types of asthma medications that can give you long-term control or quick relief of your asthma symptoms:
Controller Medication. People with persistent asthma or recurrent asthma flare ups take their medications daily to prevent their asthma symptoms and flare ups from recurring. When controller medications are used, airways are less inflamed and less likely to react to outside triggers.
Quick Relief Medication. These types of asthma medications consist of rescue inhalers or short-acting beta-agonists (SABA). By relaxing the muscles that tighten around the airways, these medications help relieve the symptoms of asthma. SABA’s rapidly opens the airways, letting more air come in and out. SABA’s can also be used prior to exercise to prevent reccurring asthma symptoms in people that have exercise-induced asthma.