When the airways react, the lining of the airways become inflamed, the muscles around them tighten, causing a narrowing of the airways, and the cells in the airways might make more mucus than usual. These reactions cause less air flow into the lungs making it harder to breathe.

 Approximately 1 in 11 (9.3%) Florida adults and 1 in 14 (7.1%) Florida children currently have asthma. In addition to considerable impacts on quality of life, the economic cost of asthma is sizeable. Direct medical costs (such as hospital admissions, emergency room visits, and the cost of pharmaceuticals) and indirect costs (such as time lost from work, school absenteeism, and premature death) weigh heavily on individuals, the health care system, and schools.

Cause and Triggers

An asthma episode can happen when you are exposed to “asthma triggers” or something to which you are sensitized. Your triggers can be very different from those of someone else with asthma. You may react to just one trigger or you may find that several things act as triggers.

Asthma Triggers

Knowing your triggers and learning how to avoid them are simple actions you can take to control your asthma. Although there is no cure for asthma, most people can control asthma so that they have fewer symptoms and can live healthy, active lives.

Common Triggers

Allergens

  • Indoor mold
  • Pollens from trees, grasses, and plants
  • Animal dander and saliva
  • Dust mites
  • Cockroaches

Irritants

  • Tobacco smoke
  • Wood burning smoke
  • Perfumes and sprays
  • Household chemicals
  • Strong odors
  • Air pollution

Other

  • Flu and cold virus
  • Sulfites (used as a preservative in foods)
  • Cold air or extreme weather changes
  • ExerciseExtreme emotion such as crying or laughing

For more information about trigger identification and ways to reduce your exposure, visit the Environmental Protection Agency.

Symptoms

Most people with asthma go for periods of time without any symptoms, then have a sudden asthma flare or episode. Some people have chronic shortness of breath that gets worse during a flare. Asthma flares can last minutes to days and can become dangerous if airflow to the lungs becomes severely restricted.

Signs and symptoms of asthma vary from person to person. They may also vary for a person depending on which trigger they have been exposed to. Primary symptoms include:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Wheezing
  • Chest tightness
  • Nighttime coughing (dry or with sputum)

Emergency care should be sought if any of the following are experienced:

  • In infants, head bobbing
  • Extreme difficulty breathing or stopping breathing
  • Bluish color to the lips, fingernails, and face, called cyanosis
  • Struggling to talk or stay awake
  • Chest retractions (having to strain your chest muscles to breathe)
Diagnosis

Your health care provider will diagnose asthma based on your medical and family history, physical exam, and test results. They will also determine the severity of your asthma to establish what treatment options are available for you.

Your health care provider may ask you about related health conditions that can interfere with asthma management. These conditions include a nasal allergy, sinus infections, reflux disease, psychological stress, and sleep apnea.

You may also have lung function tests to measure how much air your lungs can hold and how much air you breathe out. Your health care provider may use a spirometer to measure how much air you exhale and how quickly you get air out of your lungs. Other tests may include chest and sinus x-rays, blood tests, or allergy tests.

Asthma Control Test for Adults

Managing Asthma

Medications for asthma are prescribed for two different purposes: to stop an immediate flare-up, and to control inflammation and reduce lung damage over the long-term.

Quick relief medications are called bronchodilators and help open the airways when you have an asthma episode. While long-term control medications are usually taken daily to maintain inflammation and prevent flare-ups.

Asthma medicines can be taken in different forms, but most are taken using a device called an inhaler. An inhaler is a hand-held portable device that delivers medication to your lungs. Make sure you are using yours right, so that you get the medicine you need.

The best way to use an inhaler is with a spacer or chamber. It serves as a holding chamber for the medication that is sprayed by the inhaler. The spacer makes it easier and more efficient for the medication to reach the lungs.

Asthma Medications and Devices

Information contained in this website is for informational purposes only and should not replace advice from your health care provider.

 Long-Term Control Medications

Long-term control medications (also called controllers) help prevent asthma attacks by controlling inflammation in the airways. Medications should be taken every day by people, as advised by your health care provider, who have signs or symptoms of asthma more than twice a week.

  • Inhaled steroids: Keep inflammation (swelling) of the airway lining from starting and reduce the inflammation that already exists.
  • Cromolyn and nedocromil: Block the asthma reaction before it starts.
  • Long acting beta2-agonist medicines (LABA): Help keep the airways open, taken in addition to an inhaled steroid. Because they are long acting, they help prevent symptoms at night.
  • Theophylline: Helps keep the airways open. It is long acting and can help prevent symptoms at night.
  • Leukotriene modifiers: Block part of the asthma reaction and help reduce symptoms.

 Quick-Relief Medications

Quick-relief medications provide immediate relief of asthma symptoms and can be used to prevent symptoms if used before exposure to an asthma trigger. Quick-relief medications are also called bronchodilators.

  • Beta2-agonist medicines: Quickly relax the muscles that have tightened around the airways.
  • Anticholinergics: Relaxes the muscles that have tightened around the airways, but not as quickly as a beta2-agonist.
  • Systemic corticosteroids: Can speed resolution of airflow obstruction and reduce the rate of relapse.

If quick-relief medications are used more than two or three times a week, daily long-term control medications should be added to the treatment plan.

Prescription Assistance

Many companies, programs, and nonprofits have patient assistance programs that can lower the cost of medicines if you don’t have insurance or are underinsured and can’t afford your medicine:

Asthma Action Plan

If you have asthma, you should have an asthma action plan. The plan is individualized that has daily treatment outlined, including medication and when to take them.

Work with your health care provider to develop an action plan tailored to your asthma management, and updated as needed. People involved in the care should be made aware of the asthma action plan, including school and childcare center workers.

Action Plan Resources

Asthma Myths and Facts
Myth: Asthma is a rare disease. Fact: Asthma is a very common illness, affecting 19 million adults and more than 6 million children in the U.S.
Myth: Inhaled corticosteroids taken for asthma can be dangerous and can cause permanent damage. Fact: There is no evidence supporting that claim. The most common side effects are hoarse voice or thrush, prevented by rinsing your mouth right after using.
Myth: You should only take medicine when you do not feel well. Fact: Patients should take control medicine daily. These long-term medications decrease inflammation, reduce the frequency and severity of asthma flares, and minimize the use of quick-use medicines.
Myth: There is nothing you can do to make your asthma improve. Fact: There are different ways to control asthma, such as reducing exposure to triggers, taking[sic] medication as prescribed, and communicating[sic] with your healthcare[sic] provider.
Myth: Most asthma episodes occur suddenly, without warning. Fact: There are usually early warning signs before an asthma episode. Carefully monitor your symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, waking up at night coughing, or wheezing.
Myth: People with asthma must stay indoors and not exercise. Fact: Everyone benefits from exercise, including those with asthma. Prevent issues by following health care recommendations and taking your prescribed medication.
Myth: It's not asthma, it's just allergies. Fact: Asthma is very often caused by reaction to triggers, but it is dangerous to ignore asthma symptoms as "just allergies." Experiencing chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing, is probably asthma, not allergies.
Myth: You will outgrow asthma. Fact: Asthma episodes may be short-term, but the disease is a chronic condition. Some people go days, weeks, or years without a flare-up. Asthma may create changes in your airways, so there is always a risk for future episodes.
About the Florida Asthma Program

Florida Asthma Program

The Florida Asthma Program coordinates statewide efforts to reduce asthma and hospitalization rates, as well as increase the number of people with asthma receiving self-management education.

The program provides comprehensive asthma care by ensuring access to guidelines-based medical management and linking those with poorly controlled asthma to health care services.

National Asthma Control Partner

Florida providing comprehensive care along with other state partners to improve the quality of asthma care, asthma management in schools, and foster policies to help reduce exposure to asthma triggers in outdoor, indoor, and workplace environments.

  • Develops, manages, tracks, and analyzes a set of asthma health status indicators that are derived from a variety of sources and accommodate state and local asthma related data needs through the statewide asthma surveillance system.
  • Engages community partners to increase community readiness to identify gaps in the delivery of asthma-related programs and services to improve Florida’s existing asthma system of care.
  • Promotes and expands quality asthma self-management education and reduce exposure to asthma triggers through a home-visiting environmental assessment.
  • Facilitates the Florida Asthma Coalition to address asthma rates in communities, improve quality of life, and reduce costs
  • Increases public awareness of the importance of reducing the burden of asthma and the need for supportive policies and environments

View Florida Asthma Data

Information for Health Care Providers

Since the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Asthma (EPR-3) was released in 2007, researchers have made substantial progress in understanding asthma diagnosis, management, and treatment.

Based on systematic reviews conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality With and input from National Asthma Education Prevention Program (NAEPP) participant organizations, medical experts, and the public, the NHLBI supported the development of the 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines: A Report from the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program Coordinating Committee Expert Panel Working Group. 

Asthma Clinicians Guide
Clinician’s Guide for Asthma Management

Resources

National Environmental Education Foundation: Partnered with CDC, the National Asthma Control Program and developed guidelines for environmental management of pediatric asthma.

American Lung Association Professional Education: Tracks the coverage and related barriers to asthma guidelines-based care in state Medicaid programs.

Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America: Continuing education for health care professionals who teach and care for patients with asthma. The online course has been approved for 8.75 contact hours by the American Association of Respiratory Care and the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology: Offers education on discoveries in allergy and immunology, supporting licensing and certification needs.

Allergy and Asthma Network: Works in partnership with the health care community to provide connections to conferences, meetings, and CME opportunities.

Asthma Management Guidelines for Health Care Professionals: Free training designed to help health care professionals learn and apply guidelines-based asthma care.

Data and Surveillance

Data are compiled to assess the burden of asthma in Florida, and to monitor and evaluate the impact and effectiveness of efforts over time.