@Kathy P @Melissa G, thank you both for the links. I'll be sure to check out both of those!

Melissa G posted:

Savail, here is a free online asthma care course. It goes over asthma triggers, symptoms and medications. 

Melissa G posted:

Hi Islandgirl, welcome to the AAFA forums! That is a great question, have you consulted with your dr about your concern?

You can also submit your question to our "Ask The Allergist". 

Savail, you are correct, there is conflicting information on wearing masks. This is the latest recommendation from the CDC for people with asthma. Have you ever seen an allergist or pulmonologist? 

Hello..yes..I am now on maintenance and was told that it is "building" my immune system. 

Miss Melissa, no, I have not unless it was when I was a young child. I know I was diagnosed with sinus problems around threeish and that on more than one occasion, they told my mother I would always have breathing problems without some kind of surgery. I was 'prescribed' a variety of different generic OTC allergy/sinus meds from childhood all the way through high school. I didn't have issues with activity or sports at the time, and according to doctors had adjusted well, so really, the only tell was that I constantly had bags under my eyes from a young age and struggled to eat with my mouth closed.

When I started having wheezing fits in high school, we just assumed it was sinus/bronchitis related, and I dealt with it, because we didn't realize there was anything that could be done. Menthol cough drops were my best friend if I had to do any activity, and I tried to stay indoors if people were burning cedar. When I was older, if I was having trouble breathing around bedtime, I'd drink an energy drink for the one-two combo of it putting me to sleep and making it a bit easier to breathe.

And yes, I've been keeping an eye on both the CDC page that you linked and the FAQ page about cloth coverings, which just states not to if you have "breathing problems." Very helpfully vague. I appreciate your response!

I have been on a weekly allergy immunotherapy since SEP2019, does that affect my immune system or does it suppress my immune system in any way that would make me susceptible to corona virus more than someone who has regular seasonal allergies?

Kathy P posted:

Hi Zachary and welcome.

Thank you for reiterating that asthma medicines are not protective in any way against the novel coronavirus that causes COVD-19. It is important for anyone with asthma to continue to take their medicine as directed to keep their asthma well controlled.

 

Hello, I suggest you read this:  Japan study shows inhaled corticosteroids is effective at inhibiting SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV2 (COVID-19) viral reproduction.  They are NOT effective against MERS, influenza, and other retroviruses.

https://www.biorxiv.org/conten...11.987016v1.full.pdf

Japan and Korea are doing trials of Alvesco inhaler for treatment of mild COVID-19 respiratory issues.

https://geneonline.news/en/202...o-to-fight-covid-19/

Hi Zachary and welcome.

Thank you for reiterating that asthma medicines are not protective in any way against the novel coronavirus that causes COVD-19. It is important for anyone with asthma to continue to take their medicine as directed to keep their asthma well controlled.

We do recommend that inhalers be used at this time if possible, but some people may need to use a nebulizer for their medicine. We asked this question of our medical advisor and it is included in the blog:

If I use a nebulizer at home, could it spread the coronavirus through the air (even if I don't know if I have it)? (New)

If you need to take quick-relief medicine (such as albuterol) for an asthma episode, use an inhaler if possible. Using a nebulizer can increase the risk of sending virus particles in the air if you are sick. But if you have a nebulizer and solution, it is OK to use it to treat an asthma episode. When using a nebulizer, limit the number of people in the room or use it in a room by yourself.

The biggest risk to people with asthma is not treating asthma symptoms when needed at home. This can lead to visits to overcrowded emergency rooms with no hospital beds. Uncontrolled asthma is a much higher risk to your health than COVID-19.

Collin S Magnuson posted:

Albuterol inhalers, nebulizers and other asthma treatments may significantly strengthen the lungs and help symptoms of Coronavirus and fight off the infection faster. Even people without asthma could use asthma treatments to fight corona virus.

You are going to get people killed! Do not use a nebulizer. The only time you should use it is if you have asthma and you live alone. 1. It does not "fight it off" 2. A nebulizer makes the virus into an aerosol that now has extraordinarily bigger infecton radius. If you are not a pulmonologist do not give advice you will hurt people

More testing and measurements is needed as soon as possible. Some of us have severe "shortness of breath" inside public facilities like urgent care and Costco if we touch Clorox disinfecting wipes without gloves.

Who is measuring VOC levels in NY VS CA. Look at COVID-19 Deaths in CA Vs NYC? 

#Cleanairmatters

#MeasureVOCS/QACS

Lara posted:

It really bothers me that these tables always say there are no aches and pains for allergy sufferers.  There are for some of us!

what bothers me also is that and that this chart said that we do not get shortness of breath with seasonal allergies and that is just not truth! I have been in an asthma group for ten years and I know several of the people and they all get shortness of breathe like I do with seasonal allergies.

Hi @Collin S Magnuson, asthma medicines reduce swelling inside the airways, relax muscles that tighten around the airway and reduce excess mucus that clogs the airways. They actually reduce or stop these changes in your airway from happening, but unfortunately do not strengthen them. 

Taking your medications as prescribed is key to helping your asthma stay under control even when you get an infection or virus. When people without lung disease get a respiratory infection, asthma treatments are often prescribed to open the airways. 

Lorene 

Jeni D - what we have heard about nebulizer use is that hospitals are switching from nebulizer to inhaler because if the risk of the virus becoming airborne when treating a patient sick with COVID-19. You can read the statement here - https://community.aafa.org/blo...t-people-with-asthma

It's important to keep your child's asthma as well controlled as you can. If you have concerns, please contact their doctor. The current recommendation in general is to not stop taking any of your asthma medicine - https://community.aafa.org/blo...coronavirus-covid-19

Karleeta posted:

I am new to this so I am not sure how to go about this. I am a worried mama right now. My son who is asthmatic just had to go to the ER due to breathing problems. The said it was just his asthma due to no fever. But with it coming to close to comfort near me I am worried and want to know the true symptoms. I hear so many different things that it has me so worried. My daughter is asthmatic too but so far no breathing problems right now. Please can someone give me some possible reassurance that I am doing everything right? We have plenty of antibacterial soap and lots of sanitizer. What else should I do for them?

Hi @Karleeta we completely understand your concern and fear. Fever and a dry cough are symptoms of a virus. If your son is not running a fever it very well could just be an asthma flare. I hope he is feeling better? 

The best thing you can do is to make sure both your children take their asthma medications as directed. Do they have asthma action plans? Keep them at home as much as possible, wipe down surfaces with disinfectant wipes, wash hands often and keep them from touching their faces. At the first sign of any symptom, call your doctor to ask for guidance. 

It sounds like you are doing everything you can do, including being a caring momma. Hugs to you!

Lorene 

The Q&A states that data indicates no higher mortality risk for people that have asthma and contract COVID-19.  

worldometers web site provides statistics that suggest asthma suffers mortality rates as follows:

Is this data invalid or can you clarify mortality rates for other respiratory diseases vs. asthma?

My husband is 50 yrs old and has asthma. It is well controlled with Advair and with a few flare ups from time to time that His rescue inhaler will take care of. He hasn’t required a breathing treatment in many yrs. We are scheduled to go on a cruise in May. I am concerned considering he has asthma and I know there is so much still to be learned about this virus. Neither of us have any other underlying health conditions and are healthy otherwise.  He would still like to go but I am uncertain at this time. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. 

Ellie89 posted:

I too am desperately looking for hints on what to do in the Covid-19 situation as someone with Asthma.

From what I understand, I am not more likely to contract the virus, but it is likely that it will affect me more strongly once I do. Given the fact that at this point, we're mostly talking about "when" we will all be infected, rather than "if" - shouldn't it be the logical next step to quarantine everyone who's part of the higher risk demographic?

I have a job that I could potentially do from home, however my bosses are rather reluctant to allow it. As of now, every article and every website contains slightly different information - again, even though the common ground already seems to be that the absolute majority of people will in fact be infected. As long as there is not one unified opinion on this, or even an official statement recommending people that are at a higher risk to stay home, what do I tell my bosses? Or do I just continue to get on public transport and walk around the office, all while hoping for the best? I just can't believe there's no better way to deal with this.

Thanks in advance for your replies

My husband has adult-onset asthma and controls it with daily medication, however, I am still concerned what would happen to him if he contracted coronavirus, since I've seen him battle numerous sinus infections and suffer considerably. He is a college instructor and is exposed to many people on a daily basis. I do not have asthma, but also want to avoid becoming ill so I don't infect him, so we are both on a daily vitamin regimen of immune-boosting vitamins, including D3, C, fish oil, B2, B12, and a multivitamin that includes recommended daily doses of other immune-boosting vitamins. I have taken all of these vitamins regularly, but my husband hasn't until the past week. We also eat mostly plant-based foods and avoid processed foods and excess sugar. I also asked my husband to start exercising regularly. We exercise together for motivation. I know that 100% grape juice (3 8oz. glasses/day) also boosts immunity. I learned about it when researching how to increase immunity several years ago when I was also teaching. Taking the vitamins and grape juice and exercising at least 3 days/week enabled me to avoid becoming ill when I previously contracted an illness every quarter I taught. I have never heard anyone at the CDC or WHO recommend vitamins to boost immunity, recommend maintaining regular cardiovascular exercise, or recommend a healthy diet, but based on recommendations from our family physician and reading other physicians' advice, I feel that all of these are imporant to include into our regular regimen to avoid becoming ill in the first place. I want us to do everything in our power to stay healthy. BTW - I have not yet heard that the majority of people living in the U.S. will become infected, so I hope that is not an absolute. All the best!

I too am desperately looking for hints on what to do in the Covid-19 situation as someone with Asthma.

From what I understand, I am not more likely to contract the virus, but it is likely that it will affect me more strongly once I do. Given the fact that at this point, we're mostly talking about "when" we will all be infected, rather than "if" - shouldn't it be the logical next step to quarantine everyone who's part of the higher risk demographic?

I have a job that I could potentially do from home, however my bosses are rather reluctant to allow it. As of now, every article and every website contains slightly different information - again, even though the common ground already seems to be that the absolute majority of people will in fact be infected. As long as there is not one unified opinion on this, or even an official statement recommending people that are at a higher risk to stay home, what do I tell my bosses? Or do I just continue to get on public transport and walk around the office, all while hoping for the best? I just can't believe there's no better way to deal with this.

Thanks in advance for your replies

AG posted:

Ronl posted:

AG posted:

I have asthma but it is well controlled with medication. My 4 year old son also has mild asthma that is typically aggravated by colds. He is too young for control medications at least based on his pattern of symptoms. He uses a nebulizer when he is sick. We are traveling in a few weeks and I am very concerned about him. I am trying not to be paranoid but, it is hard when so little is known. He is 4 so handwashing is a constant battle. I feel like I should put a mask on him at least on the plane? I don’t know what to think or do at this point. 

How old is your child? Both of my children displayed symptoms of asthma around age 2. They were both put on preventative medication. This was not easy to accomplish as the newer standards require them to be older then 4. If they are around that age group I would suggest getting very involved with their pediatrician. Simple cases of bronchiolitis had my children staying in children’s hospital for days. (Each visit was to the tune of 24k, for them to supply oxygen) This was extremely frustrating since I was about 99% sure what was going on. Asthma goes back at least three generations on my side of the family. And every time they finally gave my children the steroid we got to go home ( this usually took 3 days or better before they would listen) after expressing these experience with older doctors and not students, as well as our children's pediatrician the proper medicines were finally prescribed. This has greatly improved things for my children. The usual small viruses are no longer emergency visits and several day stays at the hospital

He is 4.5. He has had bronchiolitis multiple times. He has never been hospitalized but each bout seems to get a little worse. It also seems to take him longer to recover. Often when I’ve taken him in to the doctor, although he has a lot of mucus, there’s no wheezing. I was rushed to the hospital multiple times as a child with blue lips. This is one of my biggest fears with him. Thankfully we have never experienced this. I’ve been on prednisone many times in the past with respiratory illnesses. I also lost my best friend to a severe asthma attack in 1996. The ptsd from those experiences and all the news on covid-19 has my anxiety through the roof. 

I wouldn’t worry too much he may be at risk but if he has not been hospitalized for it before it may not make thing much worse then if he had no history. I would invest in a pulse oximeter though, they are surprisingly inexpensive. They can make sure he is getting enough oxygen and cut down on unnecessary visits to the doctor. 

Kathy P posted:

Argos1w posted:

After reading your article it appears that people w asthma that’s controlled are no more at risk that general population - would it be the same for people that have a tendency to get bronchitis when they get sick?

@Argos1w - Because this is a new virus, researchers are still collecting data about the risk for people with asthma. Keeping your asthma under control reduces the risk of complications from any type of respiratory illness. 

It’s important to note this article is talking about transmission, not affect or severity. 

Ronl posted:

MikeD posted:

I am struck by how “experts” keep reassuring the general public that there is no alarm if you’re healthy and then in passing mention the elderly and those with underlying issues are at higher risk -  like we don’t need reassurance.  Very little time is spent on these groups when talking about Coronavirus.  There are countless people that fall into these categories - lung disease, heart disease, cancers, etc. It is hard not to panic or have anxiety with the 24/7 coverage.  So i wash my hands constantly and worry about someone coughing or sneezing around me- not much you can do to protect from that other than significant social distancing and isolation.

Yes they have said these people are at greater risk of complications. That really is just a foregone conclusion. What they are all, including all the coverage you see on tv is transmission. Just because you are of compromised health does not mean you are at greater risk of contracting the illness. The current focus is on preventing the spread of the virus. It’s important to weigh what you see in the coverage, very little study has been done on the severity due to the rapid spreading. The initial data points to more severity in the elderly only because the deaths are more prevalent there. But with age comes compromised health. This is rough data based how short of time the virus has been active. If you have health complications your mortality rate is going to be higher as with any illness. It’s to early to have a proper study. And personally prevention has already been lost. Next year or so if a vaccine has not been made I’m sure there will be more information. When a vaccine is made these studies will factor into who needs immunization as a priority. if you have respiratory complications a respiratory virus is going to affect you more. If you’re looking for percentages your wasting your time. 

I’m not looking for percentages.  I’m just expressing thoughts here.  Nothing more....

Ronl posted:

AG posted:

I have asthma but it is well controlled with medication. My 4 year old son also has mild asthma that is typically aggravated by colds. He is too young for control medications at least based on his pattern of symptoms. He uses a nebulizer when he is sick. We are traveling in a few weeks and I am very concerned about him. I am trying not to be paranoid but, it is hard when so little is known. He is 4 so handwashing is a constant battle. I feel like I should put a mask on him at least on the plane? I don’t know what to think or do at this point. 

How old is your child? Both of my children displayed symptoms of asthma around age 2. They were both put on preventative medication. This was not easy to accomplish as the newer standards require them to be older then 4. If they are around that age group I would suggest getting very involved with their pediatrician. Simple cases of bronchiolitis had my children staying in children’s hospital for days. (Each visit was to the tune of 24k, for them to supply oxygen) This was extremely frustrating since I was about 99% sure what was going on. Asthma goes back at least three generations on my side of the family. And every time they finally gave my children the steroid we got to go home ( this usually took 3 days or better before they would listen) after expressing these experience with older doctors and not students, as well as our children's pediatrician the proper medicines were finally prescribed. This has greatly improved things for my children. The usual small viruses are no longer emergency visits and several day stays at the hospital

He is 4.5. He has had bronchiolitis multiple times. He has never been hospitalized but each bout seems to get a little worse. It also seems to take him longer to recover. Often when I’ve taken him in to the doctor, although he has a lot of mucus, there’s no wheezing. I was rushed to the hospital multiple times as a child with blue lips. This is one of my biggest fears with him. Thankfully we have never experienced this. I’ve been on prednisone many times in the past with respiratory illnesses. I also lost my best friend to a severe asthma attack in 1996. The ptsd from those experiences and all the news on covid-19 has my anxiety through the roof.