How Can I Prevent Asthma Attacks?

There are many things that you can do to prevent worsening of your asthma. Some of the most important are:

• Minimize asthma triggers. People with asthma can take an active role in controlling their asthma by identifying those things that trigger their attacks and taking measures to minimize these triggers at home and at work or school. For example, if cats and dogs trigger your asthma, then not having a cat or dog or minimizing exposure to their dander (skin, saliva and urine) will help to reduce the frequency and severity of asthma attacks. If there is a situation where you cannot avoid the trigger, pretreatment with appropriate medications prescribed by your doctor can prevent symptoms.
  
  
• Take your medicine. Many people with chronic asthma take medications (usually an inhaled corticosteroid) that decreases the inflammation of the airways. Studies show that taking these drugs on a daily basis decreases your risk of having asthma attacks. If your doctor puts you on a daily asthma medication, it's important that you take it as prescribed and DON'T MISS A DOSE!