Altitude § Asthma

[Judy Tucson]

I am a 55 year old asthmatic woman, recently widowed, who needs clinical data about how lifelong asthmatics do when they move to the Denver area.  I am also bipolar type II.

I have lived in Tucson since 1975.  I must work hard manage my health in order to earn a living as an office worker. I was diagnosed bipolar II in 2000.  I take Mirtazapine & lithium for it.

I lost my beloved husband earlier this year.  Most of my family has relocated to the Denver area.  They want me to follow.  Moving closer to them would help with my mental & emotional health, but I have no data to measure the likely effect of the elevation, etc. on my chronic asthma.  I use theophylline & albuterol. I require up to 4 breathing treatment a day. Many, many trials on inhaled steroids produced no good results.

Given the three major asthma centers in the Denver area, one would suppose it is a good place for asthma.  But I worry about the elevation & air polution.  What do you think?

Thank you for your help.     Judy Tucson

[National Jewish]

With asthma the basic problem is chronic inflammation along with tightening of the smooth muscles that surround the airways of the lungs.  This inflammation is decreased and prevented when an inhaled steroid is used daily.  Bronchospasm is the tightening of the smooth muscles that surround the airways of the lungs.  A fast-acting inhaled bronchodilator medicine, like albuterol, reverses the bronchospasm quickly by relaxing the smooth muscles.  It is most important that the inflammation and your asthma be under good control.  If you need to use a fast-acting inhaled bronchodilator medicine more than twice in a week this means that the inflammation and your asthma are not controlled.

When this inflammation is not controlled, it increases the sensitivity of the airways to a variety of things that make asthma worse.  These asthma triggers vary from person to person.  A recent study has found that colds and other respiratory infections are more likely to trigger asthma than air pollution.  Generally altitude does not trigger asthma, as long as the asthma is well controlled.

Please read the information on the National Jewish Medical and Research Center’s website at http://asthma.nationaljewish.org/ for more information about asthma.

[starion]

I'd strongly suggest you have an extended visit to Denver before you seriously consider moving there.  I understand the pollution can be pretty bad at times, and the elevation can be  challenging for some folks (even those with no lung conditions).

You are correct that there are good respiratory resources in Denver--you might want an asthma evaluation while you're  checking out the city.  National Jewish & I'm sure several of the other medical centers particpate and are preferred with most insurers.

Good luck in your decisions.
Starion

[kingof14ers]

I am asthmatic having originally come from sea level in New York and have lived in the Denver metro area for the past 10 years. While I'm not taking the medication you are, here's what I've found for myself personally.

The pollution here does not make my asthma worse, but can be a trigger to an attack. I like the higher elvations here gained from hiking the higher peaks where the air is even thinner than Denver. I'm already breathing without air so why would 14000' above sea level be any different.  The drier air here does indeed make it more difficult for any time of physical activity.  An example is I can jog indoors on a treadmill for an hour.  The most I can jog at the same rate outdoors is about 10 minutes. Cooler, drier air outside.