Asthma attacks can last minutes to days, and can become dangerous if not deadly if airflow becomes severely restricted. Asthma affects 1 in 20 of the overall population, but the incidence is 1 in 10 in children. Asthma can develop at any age, but some children seem to outgrow the illness. Risk factors include self or family history of eczema, allergies or family history of asthma. Maintenance - measures to prevent symptoms.
All patients require availability of efficient and effective intervention measures.
Patients with chronic disease additionally need maintenance medication to prevent their daily symptoms. Patients with seasonal allergic disease may require maintenance medication only seasonally, and patients with chronic disease may require seasonal increases in their maintenance medication. Acute severe asthma may require hospitalization, oxygen, and intravenous medications. A peak flow meter, a simple device to measure lung volume, can be used at home to check on lung functions on a daily basis. This often helps determine when medication is needed or can be tapered in the case of an exacerbation of symptoms.