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Amy J. Hicks, APRN is a nurse in Naples, FL specializing in allergy & immunology, family medicine and pediatrics (child & adolescent medicine). Amy J. Hicks, APRN is affiliated with Lee Health.
3361 Pine Ridge Road Suite 201
Naples, FL 34109
4761 S Cleveland Avenue Suite 3
Fort Myers, FL 33907
Asthma
Asthma is a chronic lung disease where the tissue and airways of the lungs become extremely sensitive to certain substances. When these substances are breathed in, the lungs become inflamed. The muscles around the airways tighten and squeeze the lungs, and passages within the lungs swell and tighten. The airways themselves produce mucus, which further clogs the tightened, swollen airways. A person having an asthma attack finds it very difficult to breathe, and a severe attack can even be fatal.
Asthma affects people of all ages, but people with asthma are most often diagnosed as children. Symptoms can include wheezing, a tight feeling in the chest, shortness of breath, and coughing. Some people have mild symptoms all the time, and some people have no symptoms at all, but everyone with asthma is susceptible to occasional severe attacks or flare-ups of symptoms when they are exposed to triggers. Triggers vary widely but can include:
Treatment for most asthma patients involves three steps. Patients learn what their asthma triggers are and avoid them. They take a daily control medication, usually an inhaled corticosteroid, to reduce inflammation in the lungs. Also, they have rescue medication with them at all times to take in case of a severe attack. These quick-acting inhaled medications relax the muscles around the airways and allow the lungs to open up for air.
There is no cure for asthma, but with treatment it should not interfere with daily life and activities.
She has a state license in Florida.
Licensed In: Florida
Amy J. Hicks, APRN is associated with these hospitals and organizations:
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Ms. Amy Hicks specializes in family medicine and allergy & immunology and practices in Fort Myers, FL and Naples, FL. These areas are among Ms. Hicks's clinical interests: eye allergy (allergic conjunctivitis), dermatitis (skin inflammation), and hay fever (allergic rhinitis). She is professionally affiliated with Lee Health.