Asthma in Winter: Navigating Symptoms During the Colder Months

(BPT) – For many, winter is a time for ice skating, cozy family gatherings, and hitting the slopes, but for the 28 million people in the U.S. living with asthma, winter can pose unique challenges. Colder weather can mean airway irritation and tightening, increasing the risk of asthma attacks and making this season much trickier to navigate.We recently spoke with Linda, whose daughter Elle lives with severe asthma, and Dr. Andrea Espinoza, a board-certified pulmonologist, who shared their experiences and tips for navigating asthma during this frosty season.1. Prepare for winter’s dry spell We’ve all experienced dry hands and lips in the winter, but seasonal dry air can also cause airways in the lungs to narrow, making it harder to breathe and potentially triggering an asthma attack. For Elle, both the winter air inside and outside are irritants. “Elle loves playing outside but the cold air can trigger her asthma, and the dry air caused by central heating does too, which can be tough to avoid,” Linda shared. To prepare for the drier weather, Dr. Espinoza urges those with asthma to “remember to have a rescue inhaler handy.”2. Say hello to increased hand washingAs the weather cools, seasonal artwork isn’t the only thing that children are bringing home from school. For people with asthma, respiratory illnesses such as the flu, COVID-19 or the common cold can make breathing even more difficult or trigger an attack. Linda recalled a time when Elle caught a cold during the winter season: “It was a very frightening experience because she was having trouble breathing, her lips turned blue and she was having difficulty speaking, and this time her rescue inhaler was not alleviating her symptoms.”When it comes to combating winter viruses, Dr. Espinoza recommends practicing good hygiene and remembering that “certain common cold symptoms, such as coughing, should not be taken lightly for those with asthma. Cough, fatigue, wheezing, shortness of breath, tightness in your chest, or dizziness can be early signs of the airway tightening and should be communicated with a healthcare specialist, especially if symptoms don’t resolve on their own.” 3. Stay safe on (and off) the slopesWhether you ski, snowboard, snowshoe, or just enjoy sitting by the fire, it’s important to remember that winter vacation destinations are often at much higher elevations, where the air is thinner. When traveling to the mountains, Dr. Espinoza recommends “having an extra rescue inhaler on hand in your carry-on.” She also recommends “keeping a peak flow meter handy, so if there is a decline in peak flow, you know to seek urgent care.” Knowing where to find the nearest urgent care or ER is also helpful when traveling. Most importantly, be sure to talk to your doctor to have the appropriate preparations and treatments in place before traveling.4. Stay ahead of the chill with an asthma management planSome people with moderate-to-severe asthma are living with symptoms that are difficult to control, especially in response to winter-time triggers, so it’s important to be on the lookout for signs that you may need a new or different treatment. According to Dr. Espinoza, considerations for treatment plan changes or additions to treatment would be: increased use of a rescue inhaler more than two times per week, nighttime symptoms of asthma (such as coughing or wheezing) waking you from your sleep or limiting your physical activities due to symptoms. For Elle, Linda said that “her previous treatment regimen wasn’t enough,” so she reached out to a pediatric asthma specialist, who recommended DUPIXENT® (dupilumab), which is an add-on maintenance treatment for moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral corticosteroid dependent asthma that can help prevent attacks.It targets two of the key sources of airway inflammation in asthma, and can improve lung function, so that you can breathe better in as little as two weeks. Talk to your doctor about the potential benefits and risks of treatment with Dupixent, including the most common side effects such as injection site reactions, and some serious side effects including allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe, inflammation of your blood vessels, and joint aches and pain.”Enjoying wintertime while being prepared may allow both patients and caregivers to do more during the season,” Dr. Espinoza told us. Visit MoreYouLessAsthma.com to learn more about a treatment option and explore educational resources.IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION & INDICATIONDo not use if you are allergic to dupilumab or to any of the ingredients in DUPIXENT®.Before using DUPIXENT, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you:have a parasitic (helminth) infectionare scheduled to receive any vaccinations. You should not receive a “live vaccine” right before and during treatment with DUPIXENT.are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known whether DUPIXENT will harm your unborn baby.A pregnancy registry for women who take DUPIXENT during pregnancy collects information about the health of you and your baby. To enroll or get more information call 1-877-311-8972 or go to https://mothertobaby.org/ongoing-study/dupixent/.are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known whether DUPIXENT passes into your breast milk.Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.Especially tell your healthcare provider if you are taking oral, topical, or inhaled corticosteroid medicines or use an asthma medicine. Do not change or stop your corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine without talking to your healthcare provider. This may cause other symptoms that were controlled by the corticosteroid medicine or other asthma medicine to come back.DUPIXENT can cause serious side effects, including:Allergic reactions. DUPIXENT can cause allergic reactions that can sometimes be severe. Stop using DUPIXENT and tell your healthcare provider or get emergency help right away if you get any of the following signs or symptoms: breathing problems or wheezing, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat, fainting, dizziness, feeling lightheaded, fast pulse, fever, hives, joint pain, general ill feeling, itching, skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, nausea or vomiting, or cramps in your stomach-area.Inflammation of your blood vessels. Rarely, this can happen in people with asthma who receive DUPIXENT. This may happen in people who also take a steroid medicine by mouth that is being stopped or the dose is being lowered. It is not known whether this is caused by DUPIXENT. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have: rash, chest pain, worsening shortness of breath, a feeling of pins and needles or numbness of your arms or legs, or persistent fever.Joint aches and pain. Some people who use DUPIXENT have had trouble walking or moving due to their joint symptoms, and in some cases needed to be hospitalized. Tell your healthcare provider about any new or worsening joint symptoms. Your healthcare provider may stop DUPIXENT if you develop joint symptoms.The most common side effects in patients with asthma include injection site reactions, high count of a certain white blood cell (eosinophilia), pain in the throat (oropharyngeal pain), and parasitic (helminth) infections.Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effect that bothers you or that does not go away. These are not all the possible side effects of DUPIXENT. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.Use DUPIXENT exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. It’s an injection given under the skin (subcutaneous injection). Your healthcare provider will decide if you or your caregiver can inject DUPIXENT. Do not try to prepare and inject DUPIXENT until you or your caregiver have been trained by your healthcare provider. In children 12 years of age and older, it’s recommended DUPIXENT be administered by or under supervision of an adult. In children 6 to less than 12 years of age, DUPIXENT should be given by a caregiver.Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information including Patient Information.Indication DUPIXENT is a prescription medicine used with other asthma medicines for the maintenance treatment of moderate-to-severe eosinophilic or oral steroid dependent asthma in adults and children 6 years of age and older whose asthma is not controlled with their current asthma medicines. DUPIXENT helps prevent severe asthma attacks (exacerbations) and can improve your breathing. DUPIXENT may also help reduce the amount of oral corticosteroids you need while preventing severe asthma attacks and improving your breathing. DUPIXENT is not used to relieve sudden breathing problems and will not replace an inhaled rescue medicine. It is not known if DUPIXENT is safe and effective in children with asthma under 6 years of age.US.DUP.24.11.0207