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
- How to Manage Nasal Polyps
- 6 Signs Your Asthma Is Getting Worse
- What Is Eosinophilic Asthma?
- What Is Exercise Induced Asthma?
- Asthma House Cleaning Tips
- No Insurance? Asthmaniac Will Help You!
- Can Asthma Be Cured Permanently?
- Do You Need an Affordable Doctor?
- Steroids in Asthma: Why We Need Them?
- Phone Doctor Visits: They Work For Asthma Control!
- How to Create an Asthma Action Plan for School Students
- Asthmaniac Blog
- Asthma Primary Care Online!
- FLOVENT: GOING, GONE!
- What Are Some Early Warning Signs of Asthma?
- How to Use an Inhaler Correctly
- Tezspire for Breathing Your Best!
- Asthma Proof Your Home: Identify the Hot Spots
- Navigating Asthmaniac.com!
- Climate Change: How It Can Affect People with Allergies and Asthma
Asthma Primary Care Online!
Asthma Primary Care: A Comprehensive Guide to Online Visits Introduction: Living with asthma requires consistent care and management to ensure a healthy and active life. Asthma primary care plays a pivotal role in this journey, offering a personalized...
FLOVENT: GOING, GONE!
FLOVENT: GOING, GONE! Background: Flovent is an inhaled corticosteroid asthma controller medicine that is widely used to prevent asthma attacks. It is administered using an Metered Dose inhaler (MDI). The company that makes Flovent, GlaxoSmithKline, has...
What Are Some Early Warning Signs of Asthma?
Asthma can be life-threatening if it spirals out of control. But how do you detect asthma, and what are the early warning signs of an asthma attack? Below, we explain how to spot asthma in its early stages and what to do if you have an asthma attack. What...
How to Use an Inhaler Correctly
If you have an inhaler, you need to know how to use it properly to get the most benefit from your asthma medicine. Below, we cover the main types of inhalers and how to use them effectively. What Is an Inhaler? An inhaler helps to prevent asthma attacks...
Tezspire for Breathing Your Best!
Tezspire Is a game-changer for Asthma Control At its core, asthma is a disease of inflammation. That inflammation is concentrated in the breathing tubes (bronchi) of the lungs. This inflammation drives constriction of the bronchi, causing...
Asthma Proof Your Home: Identify the Hot Spots
If you have asthma, it's important to asthma-proof your home. This means identifying and removing asthma triggers from your environment. Many people don't know how to asthma-proof their homes, but it's not difficult. In this blog post, we will discuss how...