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KFHC mailing address: 9700 Stockdale Highway, Bakersfield, CA 93311
5
family
health
disease management
O
n a good day, your
asthma is under
control. But on a bad
day, it’s controlling you. You
may have trouble breathing.
You may cough or wheeze. It
may be hard to do your normal
activities.
On those days, you’ll want to
feel better fast. You’ll need to know
exactly what to do and when to do it.
An asthma action plan can help.
It’s a written plan that you and
your provider make. It takes the
delay and guesswork out of asthma
control.
How an asthma action plan
works.
For good days, it tells you
how to control asthma with daily
treatment. It tells what medicines
to take each day and when.
For not-so-good days, the plan
tells you when and how often to
take your quick-relief drugs and
how much to take. It also tells you
when to call your provider and
when to go to the hospital.
Your plan will also list your
asthma triggers—and give tips for
how to avoid or reduce them. And,
if you use a peak ow meter, the
plan will cover when and how to
use it.
Once you have your plan, be sure
to let your provider know when it’s
not working. He or she can make
changes as needed.
Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institutes of Health
HYPERTENSIVE CRISIS
>180 mm Hg
OR
<120 mm Hg
<80 mm Hg
HYPERTENSION STAGE 2
HYPERTENSION STAGE 1
PREHYPERTENSION
NORMAL
BY THE NUMBERS
110
180
SYSTOLIC
DIASTOLIC
100
160
90
140
80
120
Sources: American Heart Association;
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
>110 mm Hg
SYSTOLIC
DIASTOLIC
160 mm Hg
OR
100 mm Hg
SYSTOLIC
DIASTOLIC
140–159 mm Hg
OR
90–99 mm Hg
SYSTOLIC
DIASTOLIC
120–139 mm Hg
OR
AND
80–89 mm Hg
SYSTOLIC
DIASTOLIC
SYSTOLIC
DIASTOLIC
Blood pressure
by the numbers
A plan for better
asthma control
If you have a child with
asthma, share the
management plan with
his or her caretakers.
MAY
is National Asthma and
Allergy Awareness Month, and
it’s a great time to develop your
asthma action plan.
Call your
provider, and take control of
your health today.