asthma

Published on: October 26, 2021

Chronic Asthma Can Cause Fatigue

Asthma is a condition that is typically characterized by respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, wheezing, and coughing. However, when symptoms are chronic or persistent, the person may also suffer from secondary symptoms such as fatigue and daytime sleepiness. When a person experiences asthma attacks that occur during the night or has difficulty sleeping due to chronic asthma – related cough, he/she may feel tired, sleepy and listless in the day time.

Lack of sleep related to asthma can be a vicious cycle. Studies have found that when a person suffering from asthma sleeps for five hours or less a night, his/her symptoms actually are exacerbated. Sleeplessness further aggravates symptoms of the condition, making it very difficult for the person to work full time. Persons who sleep for less than 5 hours day are also at an increased risk of asthma-related hospitalizations.

Poorly -managed asthma makes it more likely that you will suffer fatigue. If your symptoms have made it impossible for you to sleep well, consult your doctor about changes to your asthma management program. Your doctor might be able to switch medications that can help ease your symptoms, encouraging better sleep.

Published on: May 27, 2021

How Asthma Can Affect Quality of Life and Increase Disability

By Lisa Siegel

Most people who think of asthma think of this as a childhood condition that results in occasional wheezing. However, for many patients, asthma continues well into adulthood, and can severely impact their ability to lead normal lives.

As many as one in 13 people in the country suffer from asthma. This is one of the more common respiratory conditions in the United States. Males, for instance, are much more likely to suffer from asthma compared to females. Minorities, especially African Americans, are more likely to be asthma patients than white Americans.

Common symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, chronic cough and wheezing. These symptoms can make it impossible for persons to participate in exerting activities. Playing sports, for instance, may be on the “to-avoid” list. This condition may also affect your ability to work. You may require frequent hospitalization, which makes it difficult to have continuous employment.

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Published on: March 22, 2020

Here’s how Asthma Patients Can reduce their Covid-19 Risk

By Lisa Siegel

Asthma patients may be at a higher risk of the respiratory complications brought on by infection with the Corona virus or Covid-19. Here’s how you can mitigate your risks of contracting this deadly disease.

First of all, a Covid-19 infection is not just the common cold or flu. From what we currently know of this disease, it is especially more likely to strike the immunocompromised. People with asthma who are already at risk of respiratory distress may be at grave risk of serious complications if they contract this disease. The Centers for Disease Control warns asthma patients of complications from a severe, uncontrollable asthma attack to acute respiratory distress or pneumonia.

If you are an asthma sufferer, please take these precautions.

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Published on: November 6, 2017

Asthma May be Especially Disabling for Older Population

By Lisa Siegel

Roughly 9% of all senior citizens in the United States suffer from asthma. As the numbers of people above the age of 65 with this condition increase, doctors are warning of a spike in the number of seniors who will find it difficult to function as a result of asthmatic symptoms.

Asthma can cause breathing difficulties in all patients, but in patients above the age of 65, the symptoms may be even more pronounced. That is due to a number of reasons.

Seniors often suffer from a number of age-related conditions that cause symptoms to exacerbate. Those conditions can include weaker lungs and rigid chest walls that make breathing even more difficult during an attack.

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Published on: May 31, 2017

Social Security Disability Benefits for Asthma

By Lisa Siegel

Asthma can result in breathlessness and extreme sensitivity to fumes, odor, smoke, dust particles, and a variety of other contaminants that may be present in a work environment. Therefore, it would seem that this condition should qualify for Social Security disability benefits. It is, however, more complicated.

If you suffer from chronic asthmatic bronchitis, which means that you frequently suffer from asthma attacks that last for a minimum of one day, or suffer from asthma attacks at least six times a year, you may qualify for benefits. If you meet the above criteria, you must provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) medical documentation of your condition and symptoms, including a doctor’s summary, results of lab and diagnostic tests, evidence of hospitalization, and your results on asthma tests.

Some cases of asthma may be severe, but may not meet the above-mentioned criteria. What happens then? In such a case, SSA will usually consider your claim for disability benefits under the medical vocational allowance doctrine. This means that the agency will consider a number of factors including your age and work history, and will also determine your residual functional capacity. This refers to your ability to perform any job to a reasonable extent.

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