Asthma

Managing your asthma 

Tufts Health Plan has the information, tools and experts to help you understand asthma’s causes, triggers and symptoms. Working with your primary care provider, we can help you develop an asthma action plan. Learn how our asthma programs can help you avoid trips to the emergency room and better manage your asthma symptoms.

If you or someone in your home has asthma, you’ll want to read about the five important things to know about asthma below.

For more information, visit our Online Health Guide (link opens outside Tufts Health Plan's website).
 

5 important things to know about asthma

If you have asthma, here are five important things you should know: 

1. You can control your asthma. 
   • You don’t need to miss school, sports or other activities.
2. Asthma is a disease that makes the airways in your lungs inflamed and swollen.
   • During an asthma flare-up (attack), your airways are swollen and sensitive.
   • You can control the swelling with medicine and by staying away from things that bother your airways. 
3. Things that bother your airways are called "triggers."
   • "Triggers" cause asthma flare-ups.
   • Smoke, pollen, dust and exercise can be triggers.
   • Every person with asthma has different triggers.
   • Learn how to avoid your triggers and prevent flare-ups.
   • Taking medicine before exercise can help prevent your asthma from flaring up.
4. Work with your doctor to manage your asthma.
   • Know what to do every day to avoid flare-ups.
   • Know what to do right away if you have a flare-up.
5. If someone you care for or live with has asthma, don’t smoke.
   • Smoke is a common trigger and can cause asthma to flare up.
   • Tufts Health Plan can help you quit smoking by connecting you to a cessation program.

Your asthma action plan

To help you better manage your asthma, you and your primary care provider (PCP) can develop a personalized, written action plan. Your plan will help you know what to do if you experience a flare-up of symptoms. Below is a sample asthma action plan. Print it out and take it with you to your next PCP visit.

• Massachusetts Adult Asthma Action Plan (PDF)

You can get your Massachusetts Adult Asthma Action Plan in Spanish, Haitian Creole, Russian, Chinese, Khmer, Vietnamese and Portuguese (PDFs).

Additional resources

• American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (link opens outside of Tufts Health Plan's website)
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (link opens outside of Tufts Health Plan's website)

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Page modified on: 4/15/2016 6:41:13 PM