“You can't catch enough of a breath to do anything," said Debi Burdmen-Deutsch, describing what an asthma attack feels like. She's one of the millions of San Luis Obispo County residents who are diagnosed with asthma.
It's one of the most common chronic diseases among children in the U.S., according to the CDC.
“I was formally diagnosed when I was around 11 or 12 years old," Burdmen-Deutsch says.
For decades, she has had to carry an inhaler in her purse, just in case.
"I was in the grocery store, and this woman walked by me, and I swear she was wearing an entire bottle of perfume, and that just set me off," Burdmen-Deutsch recalled. "And I had to go sit down, like, literally right there in the aisle, took out my inhaler that I have in my purse…”
She tells me she appreciates the growing awareness of asthma, especially with an observed day dedicated to it.
“I think it's fabulous, and I think more and more people need to understand that it can be very debilitating," Burdmen-Deutsch said.
"People that currently have symptoms of asthma nationally, somewhere in the ballpark of 7 to 9% of people have it," said Roxanne Archer, a chronic disease epidemiologist for San Luis Obispo County.
But when the spotlight is turned to SLO County, a recent study by UCLA's Center for Health Policy Research found that 22% of adults were diagnosed with asthma from 2019 to 2021—an increase of 10% since 2016.
“If you look at the state as a whole, from about 2015 to 2022, the ever-diagnosed-with-asthma statistic increased from 15 and changed to 16 and change," Archer said.
Statewide, a one percent increase might not seem like a lot, but that's over 39,000 people.
Despite the growing number of cases, there's still no cure for asthma, but Archer says there are effective ways to manage it.
"It's important to work with your health care provider because they can help you, get you on the right treatment plan, and they can help you figure out what your triggers are and what sort of management plan would be best for you,” Archer said.
Burden-Deutsch has also figured out ways to cope, by dusting her home every day and wearing a mask outdoors.
"That helps prevent the direct inhalation of scents,” she said.
For those who suspect they might have asthma, the SLO County Public Health Department recommends seeing a doctor for a thorough diagnosis, which may require a series of tests.
To learn more about asthma and treatment options available, click here.
