400 Promenade Wy Ste 1500, Sugar Land, TX 77478, United States

Asthma and COPD

Urgent Care for Asthma and COPD

Severe breathlessness and wheezing? We can understand your dilemma and are readily available to work together on this for your benefit. Suffering from asthma can put one in very uncomfortable and unbearable conditions. Asthma can be life-threatening if timely treatment is not considered. Even though there is no cure for Asthma, it may be prevented with proper diagnosis, variations in lifestyle, and some medication. Our providers at Southwest Urgent Care can help you achieve that goal. Walk in or plan a virtual visit with our provider for fast care for your Asthma or COPD symptoms. With proper diagnosis and timely treatment, live well and save trips to the ER!

What is Asthma?

Do you want to know how asthma or asthma attacks feel? Are you having difficulty breathing? Chest pain and tightness? Coughing and wheezing? Is your heartbeat getting faster? That’s how asthma feels, and you might be having an episode of it! The disease of the lungs, Asthma, is a life-long condition that causes the airway tubes leading to the lungs to turn inflamed and narrow and produce extra and thick mucus. Understanding the risks and being open to new information can help you prepare for the future.

Urgent Care can help you quickly feel relieved from your asthma symptoms and help you breathe a sigh of relief!

Types of Asthma

Asthma is a long-term disease of the lungs that causes occasional difficulty in breathing. Southwest Urgent Care is here for your every breath! Medical research advances have aided providers in gaining a better understanding of asthma, resulting in the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of specific types of the disease. Determined by the frequency, underlying cause, and/or severity of asthma symptoms, there are several types of asthma. Asthma can be chronic, acute, or common. Some common asthma subtypes are:

Allergic asthma: Caused by environmental allergens such as pollen, pet dander, mold, and dust.
Non-allergic asthma: Reasons include stress, viruses, or weather.
Seasonal asthma: Triggered by allergens that appear at different times of the year, like cold, dry air in the winter or hot, humid weather.
Occupational asthma: Exposure to chemicals or irritants at the workplace
Exercise-induced asthma: Exercise or physical exertion
Asthma-COPD Overlap Syndrome: Overlapping of COPD and Asthma

Experienced providers at Urgent Care can help you determine the type of Asthma you are suffering from and help keep your symptoms under control. Schedule a virtual visit and discuss your symptoms so that asthma does not interfere with your life.

Asthma Symptoms and Triggers

Inflammation of the bronchial tubes, with their extra-sticky secretions, disallows a person to breathe the air in and out smoothly. It is common in children, but adults can develop asthma too. Each patient may have a different trigger and/or symptom when it comes to asthma. Even in the same patient, triggers or symptoms may vary from one asthma attack to another. Asthma symptoms can be mild or severe. Please seek medical emergency assistance or call 911 if the condition doesn’t seem to be improving with a rescue inhaler or your lips or fingernails turn blue. Some common Asthma Symptoms include:

wheezing
coughing
chest tightness
breathing faster
a fast heartbeat

Severe symptoms while going through an asthma attack include:

drowsiness or confusion
exhaustion or dizziness.
being too breathless to walk, eat, speak, or sleep.
blue lips or fingers.
Chest tightness is becoming severe and constant.
fainting.

With the help of our providers here at Urgent Care, a stepwise plan can be developed to help you avoid or treat your symptoms when they occur. Discuss your symptoms now and start a journey towards a better and healthier life! Asthma can be triggered by a variety of factors. Depending on the patient, some of the most common Asthma Triggers include:

Respiratory infections such as the common cold, flu, and COVID
Environmental allergens such as pollen, mold, dust mites, and pet dander
Chemical or environmental irritants
Food allergens
Changes in weather and cold air
Exercise
heartburn or reflux
Medications
Obesity
Pregnancy
Smoke and Smoking
Anxiety and chronic stress

Let our healthcare provider help you recognize your asthma triggers and find ways to dodge or manage them proactively.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Asthma

Diagnosis

A proper diagnosis is the first step toward effective disease management. It is of the utmost importance to identify and treat even the mildest of asthma symptoms to help prevent severe episodes in the future and keep asthma under control. If you have difficulty breathing and you think you have asthma, the first step while visiting us is that our provider will start with a physical exam, and you will be asked about your symptoms and medical history. You may be referred to a pulmonologist or an allergy and immunology specialist if you have severe symptoms or an infection. Some diagnostic tests may also be suggested.

To understand how the lungs are performing, the following tests are usually taken:

Spirometry
Peak flow test
Exhaled nitric oxide test
X-ray or CT scan
Allergy tests (blood or skin tests)
Sputum eosinophils
SARS-COV-2 test

Treatment

Once the asthma exacerbation is confirmed, treatment options and a plan are suggested. The treatment plan usually includes short-term relief and/or long-term control programs. Some of the treatment options for providing relief from asthma symptoms suggested at Southwest Urgent Care are:

On-site nebulizer treatment
Prescription of an inhaler
prescription of oral corticosteroids
Anticholinergics
Long-acting bronchodilators

Some preventative treatment measures include:

Inhaled corticosteroids
“Step up” or “step down” medication approach
Breathing exercise
Guidance about avoiding asthma triggers

What works for someone else might not work for your asthma symptoms! If you have been using a rescue inhaler too often, visit your doctor at your earliest convenience. It might be suggested that you change your asthma medication and treatment plan. Our providers at Southwest Urgent Care work with you in the best possible ways to reduce asthma medications while effectively keeping your asthma symptoms under control. Breathe freely and live healthily!

What is COPD?

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, often known as COPD, is the name for a group of lung conditions that cause breathing difficulties via airflow blockage. Breathing complications caused by COPD tend to worsen gradually and can limit your simple everyday activities. Asthma and COPD are very similar conditions that impact the respiratory system. Also, as a matter of fact, around 40% of people suffering from COPD are also diagnosed with asthma. Smoking causes almost 85–90 percent of COPD cases. History and/or current use of tobacco and exposure to air pollution worsen the symptoms of pulmonary diseases.

Symptoms of COPD

Many people experiencing COPD symptoms mistake them for typical signs of aging. COPD symptoms overlap with some asthma symptoms. Some symptoms to watch for are:

Coughing
Wheezing
Excess phlegm
Shortness of breath
Trouble taking a deep breath
Frequent respiratory infections

No symptom should ever be ignored! Even though the conditions of COPD are not fully reversible, a timely diagnosis can lead to a healthy life for you.

Treatments for COPD

Some of the most common treatments for COPD symptoms may include:

Quitting smoking
Avoiding exposure to triggers
Avoiding respiratory infections
Medications
Pulmonary rehabilitation
Positive pressure breathing devices during sleep
Supplemental oxygen

In the case of COPD, early diagnosis is key to finding the right treatment and decelerating the disease before it starts to worsen.

Other related conditions treated at Southwest Urgent Care

Some other conditions related to pulmonary diseases treated at Southwest Urgent Care include:

Allergies
Pharyngitis-Sore throat
Sinusitis
Common Cold
Flu
Pulmonary hypertension
Lung infection
Acute bronchitis
COVID-19 testing
Other respiratory illnesses

Southwest Urgent Care is working 365 days a year for your well-being. Walk in to see a provider or book a convenient virtual visit to get your illness diagnosed and treated.