Asthma - what's your score

A guide to Peak Flow Meter Monitoring

Peak Flow Meters (PFM) measure how fast you can get your air out of your airways. They help you to check on your asthma.

When you have asthma and your airways are narrow:

• it's harder for the air to come out and you will get a low score. The narrower the airways become the lower the score.

When you have no asthma and your airways are open wide:

• it's easy for the air to come out. You will have a higher score.

A Peak Flow Meter tells you how open or closed your airways are.

What should I score?

How fast you can blow air out of your lungs depends on how tall you are, how old you are and your sex. Your doctor can work out from a chart what your score should be.

Why should I have a Peak Flow meter?

Who should have a Peak Flow Meter?
Persons over the age of 7 who use asthma medications at least once a day could need one. Ask your doctor or pharmacist.

How to use a Peak Flow meter

• Sit upright or stand up
• Hold the PFM level with the ground
• Put the marker on 0 or "start"
• Blow as hard and fast as you can
• Put the marker back to 0 or "start"
• Do this 2 more times and record the best of the 3 readings on a graph
• Do this every morning and night
• You may need to take your PFM score before and after your Reliever medication (blue inhaler) as well - ask your doctor.

Why to use a Peak Flow meter

• You can measure how good or bad your asthma is, rather than just guessing how you feel.
• You can find out if your asthma treatment is working.
• You will know if your asthma treatment needs changing.
• It's a record you can show your doctor on the next visit.

When to use a Peak Flow meter

When should I use my Peak Flow Meter?

When starting, you will need to use your PFM every day to find out what your "personal best" score is - ask your doctor or pharmacist how to work this out.

Once you are well and your asthma is under control, you should record your PFM scores:

• when you have a runny nose and feel a cold coming on.
• when you just don't feel as good as usual.
• when you have been near a "trigger" that makes your asthma worse.
• when your treatment has been changed.
• 1-2 weeks before visiting your doctor for an asthma check-up.

Do I have an action plan?

Get your doctor to write out an Action Plan for you.
An action plan will tell you what to if your PFM scores drop.

For example:

• It will tell you at what score you should increase your medication
• At what score you should visit your doctor
• When you should go to hospital

Look after your Peak Flow meter

How to look after your Peak Flow Meter. When in use you should wash your PFM in warm soapy water every two weeks. Do not take the PFM apart. Rinse in fresh water and let drip dry in a warm spot (such as in the sun).

Stable and Unstable asthma

Stable and unstable asthma - how to tell

If your asthma is under control (stable) you will be:

• at least 80% or more of your "personal best" score.
• the difference between morning and night time scores will be no greater than 10% for adults and 30% for children.

If your asthma is out of control (unstable) you will be:

• generally less than 80% of your "personal best" score.
• the difference between morning and night time scores will become greater.