- Some of Tana Mongeau’s fans are mad at her for downplaying her asthma diagnosis in the latest episode of her “MTV No Filter” show.
- Mongeau said she basically had a “clean bill of health” when the doctor diagnosed her, leading some to call her “entitled,” “spoiled,” and “rude.”
- Asthma is a very treatable condition, but it puts sufferers in a high-risk category with the worldwide spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
- Asthma doesn’t make it more likely you will catch the coronavirus, but it can worsen the symptoms if you do contract it.
- Doctors told Insider how the coronavirus can exacerbate asthma symptoms and what people with the condition can do to protect themselves.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
In the latest episode of Tana Mongeau’s “MTV No Filter” show, her manager Jordan Worona took her to see the pulmonologist. Mongeau had been suffering from a persistent cough for months, and had even been coughing up blood, leading her friends to joke that she might have contracted tuberculosis.
When Mongeau finally received her diagnosis of being asthmatic, she and her friends all played it down. They received criticism from fans for being so blasé and celebrating the fact she wasn’t going to stop smoking marijuana.
“She’s literally so toxic,” one viewer wrote in the comments below the video. “The fact that she doesn’t care and is acting like that is pathetic.”
Others called Mongeau “entitled,” “spoiled,” and “rude.”
"She needs to take better care of herself," one person wrote. "Her 'friends' are too busy trying to be relevant. They are cringe."
Asthma is very treatable with inhalers, but it also puts people in a high-risk category for developing COVID-19. The coronavirus affects the lungs, so people like Mongeau with this diagnosis shouldn't be taking unnecessary risks with their health right now.
Tana was traumatized going to the doctors
Mongeau was initially resistant to going to the doctors because she is traumatized from trips with her parents there when she was younger. She explained in the episode her parents would never pay the medical bills so they would have to go to a different doctor every time she was ill.
In the car ride over, Mongeau was clearly stressed out and anxious about the appointment, but was still smoking a vape pen, which initiated a coughing fit.
In the lung specialist's office, Mongeau started acting up. She complained about the tightness of the blood pressure machine and kept saying she wanted to leave. Worona, who was getting visibly more annoyed with his client's behavior, said he would be "beyond mad" if she took off.
Many fans sympathized with Worona in the comments for his patience and care for Mongeau.
"God bless Jordan for seriously putting up with that," one fan wrote.
Asthma puts people at a higher risk of getting sick from the coronavirus
Test results and X-rays revealed Mongeau's lungs were clear, but she did have constricted airways. The doctor gave her the diagnosis of asthma and prescribed an inhaler. He told her to come back in 10 days to see how she was getting on, which Mongeau told Worona she wasn't going to do.
"I have asthma, I'm fine," Mongeau laughed on the way home, saying she basically had a "clean bill of health." Worona told her it wasn't something to joke about because people die from asthma. Mongeau's friends Ashly Schwan and Imari Stuart were also unconcerned.
But the reality is it's a scary time for people who have asthma while the COVID-19 coronavirus is spreading around the world.
"People with asthma are at a particularly high risk because the virus affects the lungs, so those suffering with preexisting respiratory problems should be self-isolating if they aren't already," Dr Aragona Giuseppe, a GP and medical advisor at Prescription Doctor, told Insider.
"Those with asthma who contract the disease will have to take precautionary measures. If symptoms worsen or they have difficulty breathing they should seek medical attention immediately."
Having asthma does not make it more likely you will catch the coronavirus
Dr Diana Gall, a doctor at Doctor-4-U, told Insider having asthma is not a reason to panic, but the vast majority of deaths attributed to COVID-19 have been in elderly people and people with underlying health issues, which includes asthma.
"If you were to pick up a respiratory infection, it can exacerbate your asthma symptoms and could leave you struggling to breathe," she said. "It does not mean you are more likely to catch the virus is you have asthma, but sufferers of the condition should take extra care to make sure they don't get infected."
She added asthma sufferers should follow government and WHO guidelines and avoid unnecessary interactions with people, stay away from public venues such as bars, cinemas, and restaurants, wash their hands regularly, and not touch their eyes, nose, or mouth with unclean hands.
"You don't necessarily have to remain self-isolated, you should still be able to go for walks or pop to the shops to pick up essentials, but be sure to keep your distance from other people," Gall said.
"Keep following your usual asthma action plan, including taking the preventer inhaler, and keep your reliever inhaler at hand in case you begin to start to struggle to breathe. If you are having an asthma attack, call 999 for an ambulance and inform them you have coronavirus symptoms."
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