Allergies and Asthma During the School Year, with S. Christy Sadeameli, MD, and Juanita Mora, MD

In this Lungcast episode, Mora and Sadeameli highlight Asthma Action Plans as well as Asthma Peak Weak considerations for children in the new school year.

Health planning during this year’s back-to-school season is now upon parents and educators in the US, with considerations among many being rising rates of pediatric allergy and asthma as well as environmental and seasonal risks among children.

During the latest episode of Lungcast posted in August, Albert Rizzo, MD, host and chief medical officer of the American Lung Association (ALA), spoke about this topic with 2 allergic and pulmonary disease experts: Juanita Mora, MD, a physician and the chief executive officer of the Chicago Allergy Center, and S. Christy Sadreameli, MD, the assistant professor of pediatrics at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Mora and Sadreameli discussed the need for strategic conversations on immunization news, pediatric asthma control, and collaborative care with school health officials. In this interview segment, they discuss Asthma Peak Week.

“When we think about Asthma Peak Week in the fall around the back to school season, it refers to a big uptick in asthma exacerbations,” Sadreameli explained. “...(Exacerbations are) typically a period often of at least a few days, maybe longer, where people are experiencing more difficulty with their asthma. Coughing, wheezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and they need their rescue inhaler more often. We do often see this very early in the back-to-school period.”

Sadreameli added that 1 of the big drivers of such exacerbations is that students are getting back together for school setting, with viruses becoming more naturally spread around. She also commented that parents notice this trend in which summertime features few if any symptoms.

Rizzo later asked Mora about the so-called ‘Asthma Action Plan’ and the way in which it is used in school settings.

“Usually what we do is we give the parent an Asthma Action Plan, and they also submit it to the school with an albuterol inhaler so that the kids have it,” Mora said. “A lot of time, especially for kids who have severe asthma or maybe are having a little more trouble, the nurse will actually call the office and say, ‘Hey, Dr. Mora, I'm seeing this patient and they're having a little more trouble with their breathing, so I wanted to touch base and see if the Action Plan that you put through is still valid, or do you want me to make any changes?’”

For additional information, view the interview segment posted above this summary.

Lungcast is a monthly respiratory news podcast series hosted by Albert Rizzo, MD, chief medical officer of the ALA, and produced by HCPLive.

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