Asthma is a chronic disease of the lungs which causes breathing difficulty. The symptoms of the disease are shortness of breath or rapid breathing, chest tightness, wheezing, coughing, among others. In the United States alone approximately 25 million people are living with asthma. Just recently The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) together with Teva Respiratory conducted a survey among 590 asthma patients. The survey revealed that half of them have had situations when they needed their rescue inhaler, yet, it was empty. Many people had had to go to emergency room while others had to go without treatment.

“Each year, asthma attacks account for nearly two million emergency room visits in the U.S.,” said Mike Tringale, Senior Vice President at AAFA.

Now AAFA together with Teva have launched a “Know Your Count” campaign that is addressing exactly this issue – urging patients with asthma to know the count of remaining doses in their rescue inhalers. To help promote the cause, also Kristin Chenoweth has joined the campaign as a spokesperson. “I have struggled with asthma for more than a decade and am excited to be part of the Know Your Count campaign” said Kristin Chenoweth, Know Your Count spokesperson. “As a singer and actress, my schedule can be quite hectic at times and I simply can’t afford to let my asthma symptoms slow me down. To ensure I’m prepared in the event of an asthma attack, I count on my rescue inhaler with a dose counter to help me keep track of my remaining doses. It is my hope that by sharing my personal experience, I can encourage patients to know their count when it comes to asthma management,” she said.

You are invited to learn more about the campaign and asthma safety at www.KnowYourCount.com.

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