Girl returns to active life, even with asthma From Spotlight on Health - Spring 2012
Between September 2010 and January 2011,
6-year-old Gracie Salkowski of Sartell missed more than 10 days of school due to asthma-related illnesses. This year, she has not missed any, thanks to her work with pediatric allergist Mary Keating, MD, to get her asthma under control.
Although Gracie’s mother, Patty, believed her primary care doctor had a good handle on Gracie’s asthma, the doctor referred her to Dr. Keating after a couple of years because of the challenges they continued to face.
“In the past, I thought Gracie’s asthma was under control if she didn’t have a cough for three weeks,” Patty said. “Now, I know that it’s not normal for her to be sick.”
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Six-year-old Gracie Salkowski has managed
to keep her asthma under
control while staying
active with ballet and gymnastics.
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More than 22 million Americans have asthma and almost 4,000 people die from asthma each year. In Minnesota, almost 8 percent of adults and 7 percent of children are living with asthma.
If you suffer from asthma, do you have a plan to better control it?
An asthma action plan outlines in writing what steps to take in the event of an asthma flare-up. It promotes asthma education by including patients’ triggers and symptoms and information on asthma medications.
The asthma control test is used to identify patients with poorly controlled asthma. It also is useful for predicting an asthma flare-up and to determine if treatment changes are needed.
To determine asthma risk, physicians must ask their patients if there have been any asthma-related hospitalizations or emergency room visits.
CentraCare Clinic anticipates that this work to improve asthma care will result in reduced emergency room visits, hospitalizations and medical costs.
For information about a local summer camp for children with asthma or if you have challenges with asthma, please talk to your provider or call our allergy specialist at CentraCare Clinic, (320) 654-3650.
During the past year, CentraCare Clinic has focused on asthma care by working closely with patients suffering from asthma to ensure:
- they have a current asthma action plan
- their asthma is well controlled as measured by the asthma control test
- they are not at increased risk of flare-ups.
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