How Electronic Asthma Monitors Can Help Alleviate Symptoms

In the UK it is estimated that 5.4 million people are currently suffering from asthma or receiving treatment for it. This equates to 1.1 million children (1 in 11) and 4.3 million adults (1 in 12). In addition, the UK has some of the highest rates of asthma suffers on record and on average 3 people a day die from the condition.

Asthma is a debilitating lung condition where inflammation in the airways makes the muscles around a person’s airways go into spasm. This in turn cuts the amount of air getting into a person’s lungs, causing symptoms of wheezing, chest tightness, coughing and shortness of breath. 

In young children asthma tends to be caused by allergies, as they tend to have other “allergic” conditions such as hayfever or eczema. However, when it starts in adulthood, having other allergies is less likely and common triggers can be cigarette smoke, catching a cold, irritation of the airways from chemicals or perfumes and occasionally chemicals or dust at work.

In older people asthma is often confused with other conditions causing a shortness of breath. These include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) almost always caused by smoking, and heart failure in which a person's heart doesn’t pump blood effectively around the body.

Most asthma symptoms can be controlled and there are many asthma monitors on the market that can help control attacks effectively. Vitalograph’s electronic asthma monitors can help to alert you to when an attack might be on the way. They are simple, easy to use home devices that measures both PEF and FEV1 which can be integrated with a smartphone or tablet for ePRO data collection. This data collection mechanism offers greater accuracy than medical peak flow meters alone and there is no longer any need for paper record cards.

These home asthma monitors have a wide range of great features including:

• Measures PEF and FEV1
• Displays % of personal best for both PEF and FEV1
• PEF and FEV1 zones can be personalised
• Automatically assesses test quality and stores best values

• Large, easy to read display
• Stores 600 test sessions
• Suitable for use in clinic with SafeTway mouthpieces
• Easy to clean mouthpiece and flow head

Getting early treatment is crucial to prevent attacks, and this is where an asthma monitor can be very effective at preventing an attack before it happens. There are also lots of ways people can help themselves and manage their asthma symptoms:

• Avoid smoky rooms and smoking.
• Animal fur can make symptoms worse. Try avoiding cats and dogs and see if it helps.
• Get a flu vaccine every year, and ask your doctor if you need a vaccine against pneumococcus (every 10 years).
• Avoid sudden changes in temperature – very cold or very hot, humid weather can bring on symptoms.
• Some people find their asthma gets worse in hay fever season. Consider taking antihistamines and stay indoors when pollen counts are high.

Most asthma symptoms can be controlled but if you have a severe asthma attack it is important to seek medical help quickly, as occasionally it can be life threatening.

As a trusted medical equipment supplier, Four Square Healthcare offer a wide variety of top quality asthma monitors to serve all your needs.