I am 51 & have had respiratory problems all my life. My employer (a state public assistance agency) is discriminating against me due to my health & the mistakes I made prior to being diagnosed with asthma last September. Last spring is a total haze to me, I think because my asthma was spiralling out of control. The mistakes I made were honest mistakes but they keep trying to say I did them intentionally. I would just like an "expert" tell me whether short term memory & concentration problems are common symptoms of asthma as well as if there are seasons (like spring) that more symptoms seem to occur or that asthma seems more difficult to control. The past 10 1/2 months have been a nightmare & I am having problems getting my asthma under control because of this harassment. I have also been diagnosed with depression in November which I understand is also common in asthmatics. I just want someone to support me and say that I am not a total screw up.
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Q: Before being diagnosed with asthma, I had memory/concentration problems. Is that common?
Did your memory/concentration improve or resolve after treatment for asthma? When asthma is moderate to severe, oxygen levels in the tissues (including brain) may be abnormally low. Concentration and memory may not be very keen when you are having serious breathing problems. How common is this? I am not aware of data directly addressing the incidence of memory and concentration loss. I suspect, from my own experience with patients, this occasionally happens especially in severe asthma. Your concentration is likely going to be poor in any stressful situation. Memory loss and concentration problems are also common in the setting of depression and severe stress. Your asthma may have contributed to poor performance at work. There is a term we are using more often called "presenteeism". This occurs when someone with an active medical problem has the ability to show up for work but has reduced productivity because of their illness (for example asthma or allergic rhinitis). If you are not under the care of an allergist or pulmonologist you should consider getting a referral to one. A specialist may be able to help you by providing a note for work. Stress is one of many possible asthma triggers. Depression may complicate good asthma control. Get evaluated (or re-evaluated) as soon as you can.
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