Asthma & Cough Center
Patient Information

What care is available?

The UCLA Asthma and Cough Center is a multidisciplinary, state-of-the-art regional referral center for the diagnosis and management of asthma and persistent cough in adults.

Expert help, when needed

UCLA's experienced team of over a dozen physician specialists--backed
by fitness, rehabilitation, dietetic, occupational medicine and psychology
professionals--is available to patients 24 hours a day.

Evaluation/re-evaluation

Each Center patient receives an in-depth consultation tailored to his/her own needs.

Besides assessing the many factors that might be contributing to asthma (exercise, work exposures, smog, other medical conditions), the Center can perform many specialized tests to evaluate breathing that are not generally available:

• spirometry
• whole-body plethysmography
• diffusing capacity
• bronchial challenge with methacholine
• cold air/exercise challenge
• bronchoscopy
• airway resistance and lung volume measurements

Care for related problems

Skin testing may identify allergic factors, and work site evaluation may be helpful in pinpointing environmental factors affecting asthma.

Postnasal drip from sinusitis or the irritation from acid due to reflux from the stomach can aggravate asthma. patients with such problems can conveniently receive further evaluation and care through the on-campus Nasal and Sinus Disease Center or Digestive Disease Center.

Individualized treatment plan

Although asthma cannot be cured, it can be controlled. Once evaluated at the Center, each asthma patient receives a customized plan of treatment that is flexible and appropriate for his or her type of asthma, triggering factors, symptoms, work environment, lifestyle, and preferences.

Education

Education is the central theme for this UCLA program. Asthma and Cough Center physicians and other specialists work as a team with the patient, family and referring physician.

One-on-one instruction in asthma self-management is complemented by classes in managing asthma and cough, support groups, and stop-smoking clinics.

Medical adjustments

Adults already diagnosed with asthma and treated with medication who experience life-disrupting symptoms (sleeplessness, coughing fits) may benefit from a thorough re-evaluation of their condition and reassessment of their treatment regimen.

Sometimes, simple adjustment of the dosage, frequency or type of medication is all that is needed to ease symptoms or reverse side effects. Those who have been on oral steroid medications (e.g., prednisone) may benefit from switching to other drugs that have fewer side effects.

New medications and devices

Because UCLA is a research center, patients at the Asthma and Cough Center have access to the most up-to-date care, including studies evaluating newer medications and inhalant systems that are not available elsewhere.

Supplemental Services

The program also offers selected patients additional services to facilitate management of their asthma: physical re-conditioning through access to the modern UCLA Pulmonary Fitness and Rehabilitation facilities; nutritional counseling; home evaluations; and psychological counseling.

Coordination with your primary physician

The Asthma and Cough Center is not intended to replace your regular physician's day-to-day, long-term care; instead, it is designed to enhance that care by providing additional expertise from a professional team with special training and interest in asthma and cough.

<< top