This Is the #1 Sign Your Asthma Might Be Headed Toward Remission, According to a Pulmonologist
When you’re diagnosed with a health condition, it doesn’t always mean that you’ll have it forever. Although some conditions are long-term or lifelong, some can actually achieve a state of remission. While you may be familiar with the term remission as it applies to cancer or multiple sclerosis, it can be achieved with other conditions as well: namely, asthma.
If you’ve been diagnosed with asthma or have a loved one with asthma, perhaps you didn’t know that you can actually achieve remission. It can be important to look for signals that your asthma is going into remission, which is why we’re sharing the signs that your asthma might be headed toward remission, as a pulmonologist reveals.
What Is Asthma?
First of all, let’s define what asthma is exactly. As pulmonologist Dr. Sushant Nanavati, MD says, in the lungs, airways carry air with oxygen to distal, or central, parts of the lung (specifically, the alveoli, or the small air sacs)—this is similar to a tree splitting into smaller branches. “Asthma can be described as a chronic lung disease exaggerated by a variety of stimuli causing airway hyper-responsiveness that results in inflammation, mucus production and narrowing of the airways, leading to the restricted air-exchange,” Dr. Nanavati further explains.
He goes on to say that several things can cause a person to have asthma or can trigger an asthmatic episode. These can include things like:
Common allergen triggers: dust mites, pollen, domestic pets, mold, cockroaches, chemical fumes and pollution, gas stoves, smoking
Fluctuations of temperature: cold weather, humidity
Family history of asthma
Premature birth and low birth weight
Emotional stress
Infections: pneumonia, respiratory tract infections
Physical activities
Drug and food allergies
What Are the Symptoms of Asthma?
Dr. Nanavati says that in general, patients with asthma may present with shortness of breath, chest tightness and persistent cough, especially one that takes place at night.
If the level of asthma is severe, a person may also have audible wheezing, or a whistling sound heard when breathing. There could also be sudden “asthma exacerbation,” as Dr. Nanavati calls it, which can cause life-threatening shortness of breath, limit talk, cause palpitations and even make it difficult to walk.
“These sudden attacks sometimes result in catastrophic outcomes,” Dr. Nanavati notes.
The #1 Sign Your Asthma Might Be Headed Toward Remission
Although asthma can take a turn for the worst, it’s actually a condition that can go into remission. Dr. Nanavati agrees with a 2023 consensus statement made by the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI), the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (AAAAI), and the American Thoracic Society (ATS).
In summary, it states that asthma remission is defined by the absence of any exacerbations, or attacks, requiring a physician visit, emergency or urgent care, hospitalization, and/or systemic use of corticosteroids over 12 months.
Related: A Life-long Asthma Patient Shares How She’s Learned to Manage Her Condition
How Often Does Asthma Go Into Remission?
While remission sounds like an ideal scenario, Dr. Nanavati cautions that going into remission doesn’t necessarily mean you’re cured. As he explains, there are two types of asthma remission: clinical, which constitutes no asthma symptoms, attacks/exacerbations or use of corticosteroids; and complete, which constitutes normal lung functions without any elevated inflammatory markers.
“The goal of asthma treatment is initially achieving clinical remission and ultimately targets complete remission,” he says.
Dr. Nanavati also shares this stat: for adult-onset asthma, 15.9% of patients may experience remission within five years.
What Can Cause It to Go Into Remission?
Several things can cause asthma to head into remission, including your age (younger people may experience remission more than older people), early-onset asthma, whether you’re a non-smoker or if you’ve quit smoking, normal lung function, controlled asthma symptoms and minimal comorbidities, as Dr. Nanavati details.
Dr. Nanavati says that although asthma doesn’t have a cure, patients can achieve clinical and complete remission through “several available inhalers and new agents called biologics, which are game-changers in uncontrolled asthma and an alternative to corticosteroids,” he says. You can discuss these options with your primary care doctor or pulmonologist.
Related: If You or Someone You Love Has Asthma, Here Are the 8 Most Common Triggers to Know About
How Long Does Asthma Remission Last?
Dr. Nanavati says that as per the criteria, a year is the minimal amount of time without symptoms to be considered in remission. He adds that achieving and maintaining remission is dependent upon the patient avoiding allergen exposure, using good inhaler techniques and adherence and maintaining a healthy, active lifestyle.
Next up, discover every asthma treatment that’s currently available.
Sources
Sushant Nanavati, MD, pulmonologist.
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology: “New definition of asthma remission on treatment developed”
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: “Clinical predictors of remission and persistence of adult-onset asthma”
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