Living Well 60+ January-February 2014 | Page 11

JAN/FEB 2014 Aging With Asthma Though there’s no cure, it’s possible to live well with the condition by Jamie Lober, Staff Writer Asthma is a condition that changes during different ages and stages of your life. “Usually it is recognized early in children because they have allergic components, like watery eyes, runny nose and persistent chest colds, whereas in adults it is manifested differently,” said Kurt Hohenecker, who works in respiratory care at Central Baptist Hospital in Lexington. Some people are more susceptible to asthma than others. “Sometimes people are so sensitive that strong fumes like colognes can set their breathing problems off and set asthma into overdrive,” said Hohenecker. By understanding what is happening, you can get a better grasp of just what asthma is and what it does. “The body releases histamines in response to allergic components,” said Hohenecker. “Sometimes the patient will inhale cold air, and the airways are sensitive, which causes bronchospasms. Or nothing may se Ё