Q&A about asthma with Dr Mike Thomas - ANSWERS BACK

[RachelMumsnet]

We are pleased to tell you that Dr. Mike Thomas, the Asthma UK Senior Research Fellow with the University of Aberdeen is returning to Mumsnet, to answer your questions about asthma. If you have a question for Dr Thomas, please post to this thread before midday on Friday 10th February and we'll be posting to his answers on Wednesday 22 February.

Asthma affects approximately 5.4 million people in the UK1. A recent survey in the UK shows that almost 50% do not have their asthma under control. Many people living with asthma are unaware of the Asthma Control Test (ACT), a simple 30-second test developed by leading asthma experts, which gives asthma patients a useful measure of their asthma control in an easy-to-understand score.

THIS ASTHMA Q&A HAS BEEN SPONSORED BY GLAXOSMITHKLINE

Just post here?

I've been asthmatic since childhood, now mid 30s, one hospital stay. Mainly affected if i have a cold.Take 250 seretide BD and ventolin prn.....how do I know if I have "grown" out of asthma? Do I just continue to take inhalers forever?
Many thanks Peanut.

DS is 2.2 and asthmatic (on 400mg clenil and singulair aswell as as and when ventolin) we have established that one of his triggers is dust. Other than regular cleaning of his bedroom, no teddies etc any good ways to reduce dust levels especially in bedrooms?

DD is 14 and has badly controlled asthma (Flixotode, ventolin & Montelukast); when ever she has a cough or cold her peak flow drops & she is quite poorly. But the rest of the time she is fine, she rarely wheezes and is very fit & exercises daily.

I wouldn't call what happens an asthma attack as such - my Dad gets them.

What could be going on?

My DS2 (3.6) had bronchiolitis several times as a baby (hospitalised twice) and he often gets wheezy when he has a cough and cold and needs ventolin to relieve this.

Our Dr has said that he might be asthmatic but that they wouldn't diagnose it until he's 5. Can you explain why this is (and how other children get diagnosed much younger as the poster above dd has been (2.2).

Many Thanks.

my son is asthmatic. from Sept-December, he was very poorly, needing several courses of prednisilone (sp?) and needing his ventolin every day, several times a day. He was on flixotide and serevent, and has been witched to seretide.....which wierdly he seems better on. Why would this be, as it is effectively the same drugs just combined?

ALso, the asthma clinic nurse suggested we look at fabric conditioner as a potential irritant. Having switched from a "heavenly" to a "pure" variety, I find my son much improved. Have you heard much about the heavily scented conditioners triggering asthma attacks?

Ds got his diagnosis at 12 months because he has so much trouble, aswell as having had 10 admissions to hopsital for things related to his chest he has a lot of day to say problems with wheeziness and breathlessness when walking or playing.

From what I was told diagnosis this young is very rare as a lot of children get the viral wheeze when poorly which is very similar to asthma and treated in the same way. However, Ds was treated "as asthmatic" for a while before officially being diagnosed so not having the diagnosis shouldn't stop him being given whatever treatment he needs.

I'm in my 30's and have had asthma since I was six.
I have been on ventolin, flixotide and serevent for years, and had montelukast added 4 years ago.
I have recently taken myself off the monte after my ds(6) had extreme behavioural reactions to the same drug.
Within a few days, I feel like a new person, depression has lifted and I'm feeling like myself again for the first time in four years.
However, I'm a little worried that my asthma is going to suffer. Is there an alternative to montelukast without the side effects?
Thankyou :)

How is asthma diagnosed in an adult ? Over past few years I've felt tightness in very cold conditions or associated with a bad cold/cough and a need to catch breath. About 3 years ago I was prescribed an inhaler for a viral chest infection. Would this indicate asthma or are these symptoms too sporadic ?

Peanut I had a check up with the asthma nurse at our practice last week. My peak flow was over 400, I haven't had a steroid inhaler for over 3 years nor a significant attack bar feeling a bit tight-chested/wheezy on exercise and when I have a cold. She pronounced me as "asthma resolved", something I've been waiting to hear since I was a kid!

She did then say that if I need to take my ventolin more than twice a day, more than twice a week to go back because she was wrong..

Sorry, my question then to Dr Thomas is - is she right?! Can it ever be truly 'resolved'?

She advised that I take a couple of puffs before strenuous exercise too, surely this is at odds with her diagnosis?

My DS is 2.6 and has virally triggered asthma / viral wheeze episodes. He was hospitalised with pneumonia earlier in the winter, but apparently that might not be related to the asthma - is there a connection?

Also, I think he has lower stamina than some of his peers, he's quite rough and tumble inside but won't run endlessly in the garden or park like many little boys. How do I tell whether he's just a bit lazy or whether his breathing his hampering him?

I have a DS who is 5 with asthma, he was officially diagnosed when he was 3 although he had medication before then. When should/could he start using a peak flow meter and what does it do (was initially told at age 5, now gone to age 6, but still don't actually know what it is!).

hi my dd has asthma and is pregnant ,will they keep a closer eye on her in pregnancy thanks, ps what is your fav biscuit ? :)

My dd (12) has asthma and eczema. Both seem to be triggered by similar things inc allergens, stress and viruses. The asthma has never been adequately controlled and recently she had yet another 2weeks on steroids plus is on max dose of serotide and ventolin as and when (usually about 14 doses a day) both of which are accuhalers plus montelukast. During this episode, her GP referred to her condition as 'brittle asthma' which was new to me. Was he merely being metaphorical or is is it something specific?

She gets wheezy but mainly tightchested. Can't breathe and is very very scared. She coughs a lot so much that she vomits, has sleepless nights and is prone to catching everything going round. We have reduced time off school from 50% to around 20 % but as she goes up to GCSEs this is too much.
Do you have any advice for handling it - she misses lots of time of school and all the things meant to help, like swimming and singing lessons too She has a very kind general paed but not someone specialist in asthma (though expect he sees a lot of it!).
thanks

I'm 38, been asthmatic since the age of 8 and am on seretide 50, ventolin and singulair (and also levocetirizine and nasonex for all year round allergies).

I'm pretty fit and healthy, but when I do get ill, my asthma tends to kick in hard. My current asthma plan is to be on 1 puff twice daily of the seretide in the summer, 2 puffs x2 in the winter. I've previously had a doctor tell me it was okay to up to 3 puffs twice daily if I'm particularly struggling and only for a short duration (usually for a couple of weeks if I've had a really bad cold that's gone to my chest), but an asthma nurse has contradicted that and said I shouldn't be exceeding the 2 puffs. Whose advice should I be following?!

I am 30 and have had Asthma since I was 2. I have been on Becotide with Serevent and Ventolin but have changed to Seretide and Ventolin. I am concerned about being on steroids for so long. Has there been any research into the long term effects of steroid use in Asthma?

I have been given Predisnalone (sp?) when I have had attacks in the past and I had my own nebuliser at one point although I don't use it any more.

P.S. I am in Aberdeen too!

DD has been asthmatic all her life. She has brittle asthma that is difficult to control. She doesn't respond well to ventolin and has been put on Fostair for a preventer and a reliever. She also takes 10mg of montelukast but every 6 weeks she needs oral steroids. Is there anything else we can try? She has an admission about once every 6-8 weeks.

DD (3.10) has had asthma symptoms since having bronchiolitis at 9mo old. She was on daily clenil and needing regular ventolin during coughs and colds, with several hospital admissions to her name. She has also had countless chest infections for which she is under the chest consultant. Last winter she was taking preventative azythromycin thrice weekly.

Since she had her tonsils and adenoids out in October (suggested because of sleep apnoea and the chest infections), her asthma seems completely resolved. She is off all her meds including clenil, doesn't wheeze at all during viral infections, has masses of energy and is able to run distances for the first time in her life.

I'm delighted, but perplexed, since no-one mentioned dodgy tonsils/adenoids as a cause of asthma. Is it just coincidence that she seems to have outgrown it just at the time her tonsils came out? And if not, why were tonsils/adenoids never mentioned to us before as a factor in her severe viral wheeze?

I'd really like to ask the same question as LIZS, above.

Thank you.

What do you think of the Buteyko technique?

My daughter ( 5) has diagnosed asthma, is on flixotide, montalukast and ventolin. family history on both sides. averages 1 admission per year. She coughs rather than wheezes. I'm worried I'm over medicating her as every time she coughs I head for the spacer.

Surely some coughs are just that - coughs, but at other times it is the astma. How can I tell? I'm relutcuant to wait for recessions etc as thats too late for her and will lead to an a&e trip

Thanks

My ds is 12.5 mo and we have taken him to the drs twice on the last 2 weeks as he has had a cough which is worse at night. On the second visit the gp prescribed ventolin and a spacer and said he was showing symptoms of asthma and was more susceptible as dh and I have eczema and hay fever.

This seems very early to make a diagnosis to me?

DS takes Clenil Modulite 2 puffs a day and salbutamol as and when required. Is the daily use of steroids likely to make him shorter in height than he potentially could have been?

Do you have any views on Buteyko breathing techniques? It completely sorted out my asthma, which was terrible after dd1 was born, and I've always wondered why it's not better known about. It always strikes me that it'd save the NHS ridiculous sums of money if Buteyko lessons worked even for only a small percentage of asthma sufferers - I only needed about 5 or 6 lessons to get the hang of it. Was I just lucky in that it worked for me?