Asthma cases rising in Hamilton County: What’s triggering the spike?

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Around two million people in the U.S. are living with severe asthma.

With the season changing and different weather patterns on the rise, many patients might experience asthma attacks that may lead to ER visits or hospitalizations.

We spoke with Dr. Dareen Siri of Midwest Allergy, Sinus, Asthma, and Respiratory to discuss severe asthma and a new treatment.

FHO ASTHMA TRIGGERS SEGMENT 3.14.26

“But the important thing about treating asthma and severe asthma is lessening that unpredictability. So how do we decrease ER visits? How do we decrease hospitalizations? One of the newest medications that is recently FDA approved. It’s called extensure, which is made by GSK, sajd Dr. Dareen Siri, Midwest Allergy Sinus Asthma Respiratory.”

In the Chattanooga metropolitan area, asthma prevalence rose from about 9.4% in 2019 to 13% in 2021.

Specifically, in Hamilton County, about 31,000 adults have asthma. In comparison, roughly 7,300 children in the county are estimated to have asthma.

Here is what experts say could be underlying triggers.

“For some people, it’s outdoor triggers, such as mold. And just because it rains doesn’t mean mold goes away. In fact, that’s the biggest time that mold comes up, is right after the rain. And right after thunderstorms, all that barometric pressure, churning things around and getting that stuff, there’s that pollen, the mold up in the air, causing problems for patients, said Dr. Dareen Siri, Midwest Allergy Sinus Asthma Respiratory.”

The overall message that allergists want to reiterate is that it only takes one hospital visit to be considered severe asthma.

Monitor your symptoms and be sure to follow up with your primary care doctor.

For more information on asthma, you can visit here.