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Asthma at School

Role of the Teacher

Identify the high-risk students with asthma:

  • Previous life-threatening episodes
  • Three or more emergency room visits in one year
  • Prior hospitalizations within one year
  • History of non-adherence to asthma treatment regimen
  • Recurrent nighttime asthma requiring medications
  • Know the early warning signs
  • Have a copy of the students Asthma Action Plan in your classroom
  • Understand the student may feel tired, different from other students, anxious
    about easy access to medications, embarrassed about asthma, worried about
    activities that induce asthma

Asthma Facts

  • Asthma is the most common chronic disease of children
  • There are approximately 22 million people in the USA diagnosed with asthma
  • Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism in the United States
  • Children with uncontrolled asthma miss approximately 14 days of school per year
  • Asthma education is a vital component of asthma management
  • Asthma specialists (Allergist, Pulmonologist) are needed to care for mild
    persistent, moderate persistent and severe persistent asthma
  • If properly managed, people with asthma can live a happy, healthy, active life

Early Warning Signs

  • Low peak flows
  • Chronic cough (especially at night)
  • itchy, scratchy, sore throat
  • headache, stopped up head, sneezing
  • shortness of breath with exertion restlessness, more irritable,
    or at even rest
  • dark circles under the eyes
  • restlessness, more irritable
  • increased fatigue
  • tired, itchy watery, glassy eyes

Asthma Action Plan

An action plan is a treatment plan for worsening asthma. The action plan adjusts to the severity of symptoms so that students can control their asthma. People with asthma should have a treatment and management plan developed by their health care team. An Asthma Action Plan is a special road map to know how to take care of asthma each day.

When peak flow rates are:

Green Zone
  • Everything is all "go"
  • 80% or more of what your peak flow rate should be
Yellow Zone
  • Caution
  • 60 to 80% of what your peak flow rate should be
Red Zone
  • Medical emergency - peak flow rates are less than 50% of what it should be

Peak Flow Monitoring

A peak flow meter is a device that measures how well air moves in and out of the lungs. During an asthma episode, the airways become inflamed and narrowed. Many people who take asthma medicine daily use a peak flow meter several times a day.

How to Use the Peak Flow Meter

  • Set the marker to the bottom of the numeric scale.
  • Take a deep breath. Be sure you are standing up.
  • Place your lips tight around the mouthpiece.
  • Talk a big deep breath in.
  • Blow as hard and fast as possible. Blast the air out fast!
  • Note the final position of the marker. This is your peak flow rate.

Inhalers

Metered dose inhaler:

This is a small canister that contains the medication you need to control your asthma or relieve bronchospasms during an asthma episode (Advair HFA, Symbicort, ProAir HFA, Xopenex HFA, Albuterol HFA, Flovent HFA, Q-Var HFA, etc.). Proper inhaler technique must be performed to efficiently receive the medicine.

  1. Shake inhaler and place in your spacer. You may need to remove the inhaler from the canister if your spacer requires no case.
  2. Take 2 or 3 slow and deep warm up breaths.
  3. Sit up straight and be sure you are holding your head looking straight ahead.
  4. Slowly exhale.
  5. Place inhaler in your mouth, and then spray one spray.
  6. Slowly breathe in and hold your breath at least 10 seconds.
  7. Remove the spacer from your mouth and slowly exhale.
  8. Properly place spacer back into your mouth and slowly breathe in again.
  9. Hold your breath at least 10 seconds then slowly exhale.
  10. Wait 1 to 3 minutes and repeat as ordered by your doctor. (Be sure to shake your inhaler again!) Rinse your mouth after using anti-inflammatory medications.

Dry powdered inhalers:

This is medication that is in powder form. (Advair Diskus, Pulmicort Flexhaler, Asmanex, etc.)

  1. Breathe out slowly.
  2. Put your mouth on the mouthpiece.
  3. Take a big deep breath in real fast.
  4. Hold your breath for 10 seconds.
  5. Blow out slowly.

Recent News

OAAC Celebrates 95 Years in 2020
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OAAC Celebrates 95 Years in 2020

In 2020, Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic (OAAC) celebrates 95 years of allergy and asthma innovation. Founded in 1925 by Dr. Ray Balyeat, a pioneer in allergy treatment, OAAC has evolved over the years into one of the largest in the southwest. Patients have traveled from all over the world to be treated at the patient-centered practice. OAAC’s seven board-certified allergists are dedicated to improving the health and lifestyles of their patients.  Working alongside the physicians is a full-time Doctor of Nursing Practice and three Board-Certified Advance Practice Registered Nurse-Certified Nurse Practitioners.

The Balyeat Hay Fever and Asthma Clinic was first located at the Osler Building at 12th and Walker. Upon Dr. Balyeat’s retirement, the clinic name changed to the Oklahoma Allergy Clinic. From 1950 to 1980, the clinic was housed at the Pasteur Building on Northwest 10th street across from St. Anthony Hospital. In 1978, the doctors decided to relocate to the Oklahoma Health Center campus due to their strong ties to the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine and to the campus transformation of becoming a center dedicated to health and research.

In 1980, the practice moved into its new building constructed on the 325-acre Oklahoma Health Center campus as its main headquarters. In 1995, the name was updated to the Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic.  The practice has expanded in addition to the main office to four satellite locations – Midwest City, Edmond, Norman and a new location in Yukon. The main office is between Oklahoma’s trauma centers for adults and children.

OAAC allergists are on the clinical faculty at the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine where they help train and mentor medical student residents and fellows. OAAC allergists are also involved with actively sharing cutting-edge allergy and asthma information with other doctors by presenting at local, statewide and national conferences.  OAAC is an official mold and pollen counting station for Oklahoma City and provides the daily counts to the media.

OAAC’s main office is located within the emerging Oklahoma City Innovation District. OAAC has been honored as the Best Local Top Allergist by the Oklahoman’s Readers’ Choice Awards, Top Workplace in Oklahoma City by the Oklahoman newspaper, with the Torch Award from the Better Business Bureau for Business Ethics and named Top Allergists by the Journal Record business newspaper. Employees regularly serve their community by hosting fund raisers, food and school supplies drives, and volunteers for several charities across the Oklahoma City metro area.

The post OAAC Celebrates 95 Years in 2020 appeared first on Oklahoma Allergy and Asthma Clinic.

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