Medical Minutes: Understanding asthma
Andrea Turisk
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) – In a dry and dusty climate like we have here in Arizona, asthma and allergies are more than just seasonal nuances. They can seriously impact daily life and even become medical emergencies.
Dr. Donald Hubbard, Medical Director and Emergency Medicine Physician at Exceptional Community Hospital, says this is largely due to the climate in our region.
“You’re out and about all year. You have one of the largest gardens here in the world. They grow a lot of stuff here, so there’s a lot of pollen, there’s a lot of dust, and there’s a lot of chemicals that we’re exposed to every day, and those can cause allergic reactions or those can cause asthma flare ups,” Dr. Hubbard spoke.
Hubbard says there are things you should look our for.
“There’s something called cough variant asthma where that really you don’t have a lot of wheezing, but you have a lot of coughing, and a lot of times it seems to be worse at night. There’s also exercise induced asthma, so somebody who doesn’t really have problems breathing, but then they start exercising, they start getting short of breath or start coughing,” he said.