Of the 13 million Americans who have asthma, 1.
5 million of them are 65 or older.
Asthma in the over-60 set does not pose any more health dangers than it does for the rest of the population.
In fact, when asthma is controlled with medication and lifestyle changes, people of any age should be able to lead full and active lives.
But the risks that asthma poses to older folks is that it can mimic and complicate other serious health problems.
The symptoms of asthma - wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness - are similar to symptoms of bronchitis and even heart disease, which may also cause breathing problems.
One tip-off is that the symptoms occur after someone is exposed to a trigger.
A trigger is something that irritates the airways, causing them to get inflamed and swell, which narrows the air passages.
Here are some ways that you can adopt to prevent this health danger.
1.
Know Your Enemy Strong odors and exposure to chemicals tend to cause more problems for older people with asthma.
Whatever aggravates your asthma, stay away from it.
Although every person may have a different set of triggers, some common potential problems include cold air, tobacco and wood smoke, perfume, paint, hairspray, cleaning chemicals, and talcum powder.
2.
Follow Pollution Reports For people with asthma, pollution is more likely to trigger an episode.
Many television and radio stations now track pollution and air quality.
Use these reports and then plan your day accordingly.
If the pollution is high, stay indoors and keep the air conditioner on.
You may not get asthma symptoms on the very day that pollution is high.
Pollutants can take two to three days to trigger an asthma attack.
3.
Roam The Produce Aisle Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables a day.
Have one or two servings with each meal, and you will reach five easily.
Fruits and vegetables are loaded with antioxidants including vitamins C and E, chemicals that may protect your lungs from an asthma attack.
4.
Seek Supplements For Extra Protection To be sure you keep those antioxidant levels up, take 500 milligrams of vitamin C and 400 international units of vitamin E a day.
These supplements may be especially beneficial as you get older, especially if you have asthma.
5.
Deactive The Acid When stomach acid backs up into the esophagus in a process called acid reflux, it causes heartburn.
It may also cause an asthma attack.
The esophagus contains nerves that connect to your lungs and airways.
Those nerves may send signals that unleash an asthma attack when the reflux triggers the symptoms.
If you take care of acid reflux, asthma gets better.
One tip-off is to keep the acid reflux to a minimum; you can eat smaller but more frequent meals throughout the day.
6.
Dust Out Dust Mites Among the older people, allergies caused by dust mites aren't a common problem, yet they can still trigger asthma in some cases.
These barely microscopic bugs thrive on dust and humidity.
To keep their numbers down, one basic tip is to encase the pillows and mattresses in airtight covers that keep dust mites out.
While you may never be able to get rid of the dust mites, this basic tip can help keep them under control and may rescue you from an attack of asthma.
7.
Vacuum Into The Light When trying to figure out what triggered your own asthma, you may suspect that your old vacuum cleaner might be a culprit.
So you turned your vacuum cleaner upside down under a strong light in a dark room and hit the power switch.
Clouds of dust and irritants spewed out.
Under the light, you can see all of the dust blowing out into the air.
If you see dust spurting out, change the bag.
If that doesn't help, it may be time to invest in another vacuum cleaner.
Look for one that has anti-allergenic features like special bags or a HEPA filter.