Are There Any Medical Conditions That Can Aggravate Asthma?

Dr. James Li answers the question: 'Medical Conditions Aggravating Asthma?'

By
James Li, M.D., Chairman, Div. of Allergic Diseases & Prof. of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
August 12, 2008, 1:24 PM ET
1 min read

— -- Question: Are there any medical conditions that can aggravate asthma?

Answer: There are a number of medical conditions that can make asthma worse and it's important that the physician and the patient work together to identify those problems. Patients can have allergy and allergic rhinitis, or even acute or recurrent sinusitis, and that can aggravate the asthma. Gastroesophageal reflux and acid reflux we think can aggravate asthma as well so it's important to identify if the patient has that problem. There are medications that people use for other medical conditions that can also complicate asthma -- beta blocking agents used for heart disease and arrhythmias for example can aggravate asthma.

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