When Should You See an Asthma Specialist?

Among Americans with severe asthma, a condition that disproportionately affects Blacks, less than half see a specialist to manage their condition, research shows. Only 38 percent of severe asthma patients saw an allergist/immunologist or a pulmonologist at least once in the year before or after the first observation of severe asthma, the investigators found. RELATED: Is Your Workplace an Asthma Trigger? Why you should see an asthma specialist The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends patients with severe asthma be referred to a specialist for evaluation and care. “Specialist care is important for managing any condition, especially a chronic one such as severe asthma,” lead author Dr. Jessica Most, a pulmonologist at Jefferson Health/National Jewish Health, in Philadelphia says. After a specialist visit, asthma attacks were much lower (about 38 percent versus 49 percent). Hospitalizations, emergency department visits and use of rescue inhalers also were lower for patients during the 12 months after their first visit to a specialist, the study found. The greatest predictors for a specialist visit were higher numbers of asthma attacks, younger age, and having severe asthma identified in a recent year. The benefits of seeing an asthma specialist include: They can provide the...