New guidelines have been introduced to help people suffering from asthma stay clear of the ‘red zone’.

Asthma sufferers typically have a ‘stoplight’ action plan in place in order to recognize the danger zones, and when it’s time to take action to get back to a safe level. This action plan helps asthma patients recognize certain changes to breathing patterns and whether or not symptoms are worsening and require some attention.

The ‘green zone’ is considered the safe zone, while ‘yellow’ signifies that asthma symptoms have gotten worse and require attention. The ‘red zone’ means urgent care is needed, as the asthma symptoms can be life threatening.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 18.7 million US adults and 6.8 million children are currently living with asthma.

The ideal intervention should offer quick symptom relief, while preventing any further progression into the red zone. In addition, intervention should be convenient and safe enough to be conducted at home for self-administration, and should ideally be portable in order to always be readily available and cost-effective.

The new guidelines, “Management of acute loss of asthma control in the yellow zone: a practice parameter,” are published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, the scientific publication of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI).

These new parameters have been put in place to allow health care providers help their asthma patients recognize dangerous symptoms and understand what needs to be done when in the when asthma symptoms appear to be getting worse