Mayo Clinic Health System in Austin is working to prevent asthma symptoms before they begin.

“Keeping asthma symptoms under control will allow a person to have a greater activity capacity and reduce emergency room visits and hospitalizations,” said Kari Weber, a registered respiratory therapist and certified asthma educator. “Asthma should never prevent a person from doing whatever they desire. Developing an asthma action plan will give a person the guide to minimizing symptoms and using medication properly.”

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects one in 11 children and one in 12 adults in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Weber can provide individual assessments and a personal guide to assist patients with asthma. For questions regarding asthma symptoms, asthma management, the use of medications, or to assist with a personal guide for asthma, call the asthma educator located in the Cardiac Rehabilitation Services department at Mayo Clinic Health Systems in Austin, at 507-434-1674. For questions regarding diagnosing asthma, contact your primary health care providers.