Frequent contributor Chris Bender from the Diamond Drug Information Center is back - again- this time to talk about treating asthma in the correctional setting.

According to a 2015 report from the US Department of Justice, the prevalence of asthma among correctional patient population was 15-20%, compared to just 10% among the general population. It should be no surprise then that Chris and his Drug Info Center colleagues field many asthma questions from providers.

Because of this, and because major asthma treatment guidelines have been updated in the past few years, Chris felt asthma would be a timely presentation topic for this year’s Spring NCCHC Conference- and ultimately, this podcast.

Chris treats us to a broad overview of asthma symptoms and therapies, before taking us deeper into the treatment issues found in jails and prisons. Along the way, we also talk about the relationship between asthma and COPD and what effect COVID-19 has had on asthma management.

Resources we discuss in the episode:

US Department of Justice Report- "Medical Problems of State and Federal Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2011–12"

https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=5219

National Asthma Education and Prevention Program - 2020 Focused Updates to the Asthma Management Guidelines

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/all-publications-and-resources/2020-focused-updates-asthma-management-guidelines

Allergy and Asthma Network - Inhaler Chart

https://members.allergyasthmanetwork.org/store/viewproduct.aspx?id=16386141