STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.-- Some Staten Island residents are more than four times more likely to visit the emergency room for asthma-related symptoms, because of where on the borough they live.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, asthma causes repeated episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and nighttime or early morning coughing.
The symptoms can be controlled by medication, but patients also must "remove the triggers in your environment that can make your asthma worse,” according to the CDC website.
Hot spots on Staten Island
Both children and adults on the North Shore were far more at risk of a trip to the emergency room for asthma in 2016, according to data collected by the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).
For every 10,000 residents in the Port Richmond and Mariners Harbor sections of Staten Island, doctors logged 167 emergency room visits for children suffering from asthma in 2016, according to DOHMH.
By comparison, on the South Shore that number was 34. On the West Shore, it was 45. In the area defined by the city as the Stapleton and St. George region, it was 122.
The ratios for emergency room visits by adults were similar.
ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS
About 40% of asthma cases are allergy triggered, says Dr. Nbha Bhambri, an allergy and asthma specialist with offices on Staten Island and in New Jersey.
“Sometimes it starts with eczema, then develops into environmental allergies and then asthma,” said Bhambri.
Environmental triggers -- which experts say can be harder to escape in large, government-subsidized apartment buildings -- could include mold, dust, garbage, secondhand smoke, fresh paint, animal dander, cockroaches and mice.
According to the DOHMH website, families should make sure garbage lids are sealed properly, recyclables are rinsed, water leaks are reported to building maintenance and homes are kept dry and without clutter.
If pest control is necessary, authorities caution against foggers, sprays and illegal or unlabeled pesticides such as Tres Pasitos, Chinese Chalk or Tempo.
TREATMENT
It’s common knowledge that inhalers are one way to both treat and prevent asthma attacks, which can be a lifeline for patients born with asthma.
For patients who develop asthma, a shot can be administered to eliminate a specific allergen trigger, and if environmental factors can also be controlled or eliminated it could in some cases relinquish the need for an inhaler, said Bhambri.
“I’ll reassess every three months, and try to lower their dose,” she said. “And if they can come off the medicine, we’ll try that too.”
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