Thursday, January 16, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Center helps asthmatic children breathe easier

New facility addresses need in state with highest rate of disease in U.S.

Dr. Ruben Diaz measures the lung function of patient Darrell Lewis, 14, at University Medical Center's new asthma center. The center opened last month. Photo by Ralph Fountain.

Asthma causes more than breathing problems in children.

The disease can keep kids home from school, sideline them during athletic or social events and force them indoors on windy days. Asthma can be exacerbated by obesity or other health problems.

All of the issues that weigh on a child with asthma now can be addressed at a new comprehensive asthma center. The center, which opened last month, is staffed with pediatric specialists including doctors and nurses and a social worker, pharmacist, allergist and dietitian.

"This town is too big not to have an asthma center in it. It's time that we had one," said Dr. Ruben Diaz, a pediatric pulmonologist and director of the new University Medical Center asthma clinic. "We have a huge population of asthmatic children here. Twelve to 15 percent of children suffer from asthma in this valley."

Nevada has the highest rate of asthma in the country, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The percentage of Nevadans with asthma nearly has doubled to 13.4 percent since 1998. The national average is 10.5 percent.

Asthma causes episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing and tightness in the chest. The chronic disease usually can be managed with medications.

Local health experts aren't clear why Nevadans seem more susceptible to the potentially fatal disease. Some speculate that a mixture of air pollution and tobacco smoke can exacerbate the lung disease and even contribute to poor lung growth in infants. Others say asthmatics who lack health insurance can't keep up with the necessary medications to control the disease and are subject to more attacks as a result.

Currently, the center is open from 1 to 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays only. Most patients are referred from school nurses or pediatricians, Diaz said.

"We're limiting it to five patients a day right now," Diaz said. "We've been full and have a list of patients waiting to get in."

Clinic hours might be expanded in the future.

Sabrina Smith has been taking her 14-year-old asthmatic son, Darrell Lewis, to the center since it opened. She said her son's severe asthma keeps him from playing sports and often forces him to stay home from school.

"We're really hopeful all the specialists in the clinic will be able to help us," Smith said.

"Darrell had a sibling who died from asthma at 9 years of age. We don't want to lose him, too."

Families that come to the clinic first speak with a social worker who can help parents find a funding source to pay for medical care. The social worker also talks to the children about how asthma hinders their daily lives and whether the disease prevents them from participating in activities they enjoy.

"Kids sometimes feel left out because of asthma," said Beverly Wykoff, a medical social worker at the center.

"We want to see how badly their lives are affected by asthma and then follow up after they begin treatment to make sure things are improving."

Parents and children also receive educational materials and instructions on how to use any medical equipment that might be necessary in the home. They also have access to a pharmacist who can review medications and answer any questions families have.

"We want absolutely no barriers to education or treatment for these kids," said pediatric pulmonologist Craig Nakamura, who also works at the center.

"This is a comprehensive center to help families understand the disease, help them be compliant with the medications and help improve the child's quality of life."

Children with health problems that exacerbate asthma, such as obesity, have access to a dietitian at the center.

"We had one patient that was 350 pounds and one over 400 pounds," Diaz said.

"If they lost weight, the asthma would become less severe, so we held a clinic for them with the dietitian."

Most insurance is accepted at the clinic. For more information or to make an appointment, call 383-3642.