Asthma is caused by swelling (inflammation) in the airways. When an asthma attack occurs, the lining of the air passages swells and the muscles surrounding the airways become tight. This reduces the amount of air that can pass through the airway.
Asthma
Asthma is a disease that causes the airways of the lungs to swell and narrow. It leads to wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing.
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Asthma Triggers
In people who have sensitive airways, asthma symptoms can be triggered by breathing in substances called allergens or triggers.
Common asthma triggers include:
- Animals (pet hair or dander)
- Dust mites
- Certain medicines (aspirin and other NSAIDS)
- Changes in weather (most often cold weather)
- Chemicals in the air or in food
- Exercise
- Mold
- Pollen
- Respiratory infections, such as the common cold
- Strong emotions (stress)
- Tobacco smoke
Substances in some workplaces can also trigger asthma symptoms, leading to occupational asthma. The most common triggers are wood dust, grain dust, animal dander, fungi, or chemicals.
Many people with asthma have a personal or family history of allergies, such as hay fever (allergic rhinitis) or eczema. Others have no history of allergies.
Asthma Symptoms
Most people with asthma have attacks separated by symptom-free periods. Some people have long-term shortness of breath with episodes of increased shortness of breath. Either wheezing or a cough may be the main symptom.
Asthma attacks can last for minutes to days. Attacks can become dangerous if airflow is severely blocked.
Symptoms of asthma include:
- Cough with or without sputum (phlegm) production
- Pulling in of the skin between the ribs when breathing (intercostal retractions)
- Shortness of breath that gets worse with exercise or activity
- Wheezing
Emergency symptoms that need prompt medical help include:
- Bluish color to the lips and face
- Decreased level of alertness, such as severe drowsiness or confusion, during an asthma attack
- Extreme difficulty breathing
- Rapid pulse
- Severe anxiety due to shortness of breath
- Sweating
Other symptoms that may occur:
- Abnormal breathing pattern -- breathing out takes more than twice as long as breathing in
- Breathing temporarily stops
- Chest pain
- Tightness in the chest
Diagnosing Asthma
Your health care provider will use a stethoscope to listen to your lungs. Wheezing or other asthma-related sounds may be heard.
Tests that may be ordered include:
- Allergy testing -- skin or a blood test to see if a person with asthma is allergic to certain substances
- Arterial blood gas (usually only done with people who are having a severe asthma attack)
- Chest x-ray
- Lung function tests, including peak flow measurements
Asthma Treatment
The goals of treatment are:
- Control airway swelling
- Stay away from substances that trigger your symptoms
- Help you to be able to do normal activities without asthma symptoms
You and your doctor should work as a team to manage your asthma. Follow your doctor's instructions on taking medicines, eliminating asthma triggers, and monitoring symptoms.
Medicines for Asthma
There are two kinds of medicines for treating asthma:
- Control medicines to help prevent attacks
- Quick-relief (rescue) medicines for use during attacks
Long-Term Medicines
These are also called maintenance or control medicines. They are used to prevent symptoms in people with moderate to severe asthma. You must take them every day for them to work. Take them even when you feel OK.
Some long-term medicines are breathed in (inhaled), such as steroids and long-acting beta-agonists. Others are taken by mouth (orally). Your doctor will prescribe the right medicine for you.
Quick-Relief Medicines
These are also called rescue medicines. They are taken:
- For coughing, wheezing, trouble breathing, or an asthma attack
- Just before exercising to help prevent asthma symptoms caused by exercise
Tell your doctor if you are using quick-relief medicines twice a week or more. If so, your asthma may not be under control and your doctor may need to change your dose of daily control drugs.
Quick-relief medicines include:
- Short-acting inhaled bronchodilators
- Oral corticosteroids for when you have an asthma attack that is not going away
A severe asthma attack requires a checkup by a doctor. You may also need a hospital stay. There, you will likely be given oxygen, breathing assistance, and medicines given through a vein (IV).
Asthma Care at Home
- Know the asthma symptoms to watch for.
- Know how to take your peak flow reading and what it means.
- Know which triggers make your asthma worse and what to do when this happens.
- Know how to care for your asthma when you exercise.
Asthma action plans are written documents for managing asthma. An asthma action plan should include:
- Instructions for taking asthma medicines when your condition is stable
- A list of asthma triggers and how to avoid them
- How to recognize when your asthma is getting worse, and when to call your provider
A peak flow meter is a simple device to measure how quickly you can move air out of your lungs.
It can help you see if an attack is coming, sometimes even before symptoms appear. Peak flow measurements help let you know when you need to take medicine or other action.
Peak flow values of 50% to 80% of your best results are a sign of a moderate asthma attack. Numbers below 50% are a sign of a severe attack.
Care and Treatment
Desensitization for Drug Allergy
Immune Globulin Infusion
Mechanical Ventilation
Polysomnography
Progressive Exercise Testing
Pulmonary Exercise Testing
Providers
Please see your primary care provider before scheduling an appointment with one of our specialists. If you don't have a primary care provider, we can help you find one.
Locations
Hours of Operation
Mon - Fri: 8 am - 5 pm
Pulmonary and Critical Care - Davie
at Davie Medical Center
Hours of Operation
Mon - Fri: 8 am - 5 pm
Hours of Operation
Mon - Fri: 8 am - 5 pm
Respiratory Therapy - Lexington
Lexington Medical Center
Hours of Operation
Mon - Fri: 8 am - 4 pm
Closed for lunch daily: 12 - 12:30 pm
Pulmonary Lab - North Tower
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Pulmonology - Premier
formerly known as Cornerstone Pulmonology
Address
The Westchester Building
1814 Westchester Drive
Suite 202
High Point, NC 27262
Get DirectionsHours of Operation
Mon - Fri: 8 am - 5 pm
Closed for lunch daily: 12 - 1 pm
Insurance
This chart is a list of the most common health insurance plans we accept. This list is subject to change. Please check your individual plan to confirm their participation and the coverage allowed.
Due to the different physician groups and hospitals within the Wake Forest Baptist system, physician services and hospital services are billed separately. Please remember that health insurance coverage varies, so some services may not be covered.
If you don’t see your plan or you have questions, please call our Customer Service Center at 877-938-7497. We will do our best to work with you and your plan.
Key
WFUHS - Wake Forest University Health Sciences (professional services)
NCBH - North Carolina Baptist Hospital (Includes Davie)
LMC - Lexington Medical Center
CHC - Cornerstone Healthcare
Wilkes - Wilkes Regional Medical Center
HPR- High Point Regional
N/A - Not applicable to services provided at facility and/or CHC
NC -Not Contracted, very low to no volume for facility and/or CHC
Wake Forest Baptist Health Managed Care/MA Contracts - April 2024
AETNA CONNECTED NC ACA/Exchange: Accepted at all locations
AETNA NC PREFERRED+: Accepted at all locations
AETNA (PPO & HMO): Accepted at all locations
AETNA MEDICARE: Accepted at all locations
AETNA WHOLE HEALTH: Accepted at all locations
ALIGNMENT HEALTHCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Accepted at all locations
AMBETTER OF NC: Accepted at all locations
AMERIHEALTH CARITAS NEXT ACA/Exchange: Accepted at all locations
BCBSNC (PPO & HMO): Accepted at all locations
BCBS HIGH PERFORMANCE (NATIONAL NETWORK): Accepted at all locations
BLUE LOCAL WITH ATRIUM HEALTH: Accepted at all locations
BLUE MEDICARE: Accepted at all locations
BLUE VALUE: Accepted at all locations
CAROLINA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH and CHC (not applicable to services provided at LMC, Wilkes and High Point)
CIGNA: Accepted at all locations
CIGNA BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH and High Point (not applicable to services provided at LMC, CHC and Wilkes)
CIGNA HEALTHSPRING MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, LMC, CHC and High Point (not applicable to services provided at Wilkes)
CIGNA LIFESOURCE (TRANSPLANTS): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not applicable to services provided at LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
CRESCENT PPO (ASHEVILLE): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
DEVOTED HEALTH (MEDICARE ADVANTAGE): Accepted at all locations
DIRECT NET: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, LMC, Wilkes and High Point (not contracted, very low to no volume for CHC)
FIRST HEALTH NETWORK: Accepted at NCBH, LMC, Wilkes and High Point (not contracted, very low to no volume for WFUHS and CHC)
FIRSTCAROLINACARE (PINEHURST, NC): Accepted at NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for WFUHS, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
GATEWAY HEALTH ALLIANCE (VIRGINIA): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
HEALTHGRAM (formerly PRIMARY PHYSICIAN CARE): Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH and LMC (not contracted, very low to no volume for CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
HEALTHTEAM ADVANTAGE: Accepted at all locations
HUMANA CHOICECARE: Accepted at all locations
HUMANA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE: Accepted at all locations
LIBERTY ADVANTAGE (MEDICARE ADVANTAGE): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not applicable to services provided at LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
MAGELLAN (BEHAVIORAL HEALTH): Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH and CHC (not applicable to services provided at LMC, Wilkes and High Point)
MEDCOST: Accepted at all locations
MEDCOST ULTRA: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, LMC, Wilkes and High Point (not applicable at CHC)
PHCS/MULTIPLAN: Accepted at NCBH, CHC, LMC and High Point (not contracted, very low to no volume for WFUHS and Wilkes)
OPTUMHEALTH (TRANSPLANTS - APPLICABLE TO NCBH/WFUHS ONLY): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not applicable to services provided at LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
PREFERRED CARE OF VA INC: Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
SOUTHERN HEALTH SVCS (COVENTRY-PPO ONLY): Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH and CHC (not contracted, very low to no volume for LMC, Wilkes and High Point)
TWIN COUNTY (VIRGINIA): Accepted at WFUHS and NCBH (not contracted, very low to no volume for LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
UNITED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH: Accepted at WFUHS, NCBH, CHC and High Point (not applicable to services provided at LMC and Wilkes)
UNITED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT PROGRAM (WFUHS ONLY): Accepted at WFUHS (not applicable for services provided at NCBH, LMC, CHC, Wilkes and High Point)
UNITED HEALTHCARE: Accepted at all locations
UNITED HEALTHCARE ESSENTIALS ACA/EXCHANGE: Accepted at all locations
UNITED HEALTHCARE MEDICARE: Accepted at all locations
VA CCN: Accepted at all locations
WELLCARE (MEDICARE ADVANTAGE): Accepted at all locations
LMC ONLY: Contracts specific to support Lexington employer groups, low volume
NATIONAL PROVIDER NETWORK/MEDICAL RESOURCES
CHC ONLY: Contracts specific to support CHC
TRICARE
Key
WFUHS - Wake Forest University Health Sciences (professional services)
NCBH - North Carolina Baptist Hospital (Includes Davie)
LMC - Lexington Medical Center
CHC - Cornerstone Healthcare
Wilkes - Wilkes Regional Medical Center
HPR- High Point Regional
N/A - Not applicable to services provided at facility and/or CHC
NC - Not Contracted, very low to no volume for facility and/or CHC
Referring Physicians
At Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, we understand the importance of referrals. Our physician liaisons partner with referring physicians in our community and beyond to provide information on our physicians and clinical services.
Education and Research
The section is primarily responsible for training of pulmonary and critical care and allergy physicians for the institution through its fellowship programs. Aside from this we provide a broad- based experience for the residents of the department of internal medicine through pulmonary electives and medical intensive care rotations.
Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program
A two-year fellowship that is an integrated internal medicine-pediatric program providing comprehensive exposure to the diagnosis, treatment and management of allergic immunologic diseases.
Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship Program
Training outstanding physician leaders who improve the health of people with respiratory disease and critical illness.