Is Your Asthma e-Asthma? New Medicine!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 3:41 — 3.5MB)
* e-Asthma is category of severe asthma
* Patients with e-Asthma have difficulty getting asthma control with usual treatment
* e-Asthma responds well to a new type of injected medicine
* In such patients, this new medicine can decrease their asthma attacks and allow them to use less oral steroid.
e-Asthma is a type of severe asthma that responds well to a new kind of control medicine that you inject under skin, usually monthly.
Severe Asthma means:
- You’ve been on a high dose of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) and a long-acting bronchodilator or theophylline for in the past year; and/or
- You’ve been treated with steroids (like Prednisone) by mouth for more than half of the past year.
Wondering what “high dose” ICS means?
Definition of high dose* | ||
ICS | Age 6 – 12 years | Age > 12 yrs |
Beclomethasone (Qvar) | ≥ 320 mcg/day | ≥ 1000 mcg/day |
Budesonide (Pulmicort) | ≥ 800 mcg/day | ≥ 1600 mcg/day |
Ciclesonide (Alvesco) | ≥ 160 mcg/day | ≥ 320 mcg/day |
Fluticasone (Flovent) | ≥ 500 mcg/day | ≥ 1000 mcg/day |
Mometasone (Asmanex) | ≥ 500 mcg/day | ≥ 800 mcg/day |
*European Respiratory Society: Eur Respir J Feb 2014 43:343-373 |
This new type of injectable asthma medicine has been shown to dramatically:
1. Reduce the number of asthma attacks you will have
2. Reduce how much oral steroid (like Prednisone) and ICS you need to stay controlled.
How do we know if your asthma is the type that will respond to this medicine? You would be likely to get a good response to this new medicine if:
- Your eosinophils are elevated in your bloodstream, and
- Your allergy testing shows that you are triggered by seasonal allergens.
So, let’s review:
If
You have been on high dose ICS (see above) or oral steroid for more than half of the year,
AND
You have skin allergy tests that show a problem
THEN
I would recommend having your blood drawn to measure your eosinophil count.
If your eosinophil count is elevated (35-700 IU/mL), you would be a good candidate to try this new type of medicine.
What medications would be considered?
Here is a list of subcutaneous medications that can be ordered for e-Asthma:
Omallzumab (Xolair) injected every 2 or 4 weeks depending on your eosinophil count and age
Dupilumab (Dupixent) injected every 2 weeks
Mepolizumab (Nucala) injected every 4 weeks
Benralizumab (Fasenra) injected every 4 weeks for 3 doses, then every 8 weeks.
Tezepelumab (Tezspire) injected every 4 weeks. This medicine does not require any history of elevated eosinophils or prior testing for allergic asthma.
These medications are quite new and it will take some time for general practitioners to become educated about prescribing them.
But, they are available RIGHT NOW and if you are suffering from severe asthma, they could be a really good solution for getting your severe asthma under control.
Complete the subscription form on the right if you’d like to get an email when I post a new podcast and blog entry.
Remember our hashtag: #asthmacarenow! And keep Breathing Easy!
#asthmacontrolnow
#telemedicineasthmacare
#backpocketasthmadoc
#asthmaactionplan
#asthmacontroltest
#asthmacontroller
#rescueinhaler
#asthmacovid19
#childrenandasthma
#eprescription
#easthma
#peakexpiratoryflow
#peakflowmeter
#asthmaniac
All Posts
- Navigating Asthmaniac.com!
- How Can Asthmaniac Address Your Asthma Concerns?
- High-Deductible Health Plan? Online Asthma Is Perfect!
- No Insurance? Asthmaniac Will Help You!
- Is Your Asthma e-Asthma? New Medicine!
- Asthma Follow Up Care: Why You Need It!
- NEVER run Out of Asthma Inhaler Medicine!
- Asthmaniac Uses ePrescriptions for Your Medicine!
- Asthma Management Guidelines 2020 Focused Update: What’s In It For You?
- Asthma Rescue Inhalers Are Crucial in Asthma Control!
- Do You Need an Asthma Controller Medication?
- What is an MDI Spacer and Why Do You Need One?
- Children and Asthma: Different from Adult Asthma?
- Asthma and COVID19: Breathing Easy during a Pandemic
- Peak Expiratory Flow Rate: How We Measure and Why?
- Asthma Action Plan: Personalized Just For You!
- Asthma Control Test Score: How We Use It
- Asthma Facts
- Asthma Attack Triggers: Keep a Lid On It!
- Phone Doctor Visits: They Work For Asthma Control!
Asthmaniac Uses ePrescriptions for Your Medicine!
* Electronic prescriptions mean: ..More accuracy in the order, ..More convenience for you, ..No paper to lose, and ..It’s FAST! * Asthmaniac sends all orders for prescription medication to the pharmacy of your choice. Asthma is one disease that...
Asthma Management Guidelines 2020 Focused Update: What’s In It For You?
* The National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute coordinated this update * Recommendations were published on December 1, 2020. * It Focuses on six areas: ....Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide Testing ....Indoor Allergen...
Asthma Rescue Inhalers Are Crucial in Asthma Control!
* Rescue inhalers are essential * The albuterol in rescue inhalers opens breathing tubes quickly * If it doesn’t quickly improve your breathing, go to the ER * A spacer should be used with all liquid medicine inhalers * Generic albuterol is now available...
Do You Need an Asthma Controller Medication?
* Asthma controllers are medications that “control” the underlying inflammation in your breathing tubes. * Inhaled corticosteroids are the most common type of medicine used for this purpose. * In order for corticosteroids to work, they have to be inhaled...
What is an MDI Spacer and Why Do You Need One?
* A spacer is needed to hold your asthma medicine in a cloud until you can pull it into your lungs with a deep breath.
* If you don’t use a spacer with your asthma medicine, it ends up on tongue and on the walls of your throat where it can’t help your asthma and usually causes a yeast infection.
* Spacers should be used with all of your asthma medicine that comes in a metered dose inhaler (MDI).
* Medicine administered by a dry powder inhaler does not require a spacer since the design of the inhaler stirs and suspends the dry powder particles so they can be inhaled deeply.
Children and Asthma: Different from Adult Asthma?
* Asthma is present in about 10% of children. * Asthma in children is diagnosed when your child has recurring episodes of wheezing that are relieved by rescue medicine such as albuterol * Asthma in children is treated with the same medicines and treatment...