ISLAMABAD, May 7 (APP):Health experts on World Asthma Day stressed public awareness to empower people for well-management of disease and to take all protective measures to remain safe from any painful situation as changing lifestyles, increasing pollution and smoking are the main contributors factors of this disease.
Pulmonologist & Experienced Medical Professional Dr Rizwan Uppal talking to PTV news channel, explained that asthma is a common chronic lung disease with two main causes: inflammation and tightening of the muscles surrounding the airways.
World Asthma Day is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world, he added.
“Inhalers are the best and safest way of treating asthma but in Pakistan, people have serious reservations about using them,” he said.
Its early symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness and coughing, he mentioned.
According to experts, asthma can be controlled if treated properly, however, unfortunately majority of the people in Pakistan are unaware of its treatment and the rising levels of air pollution are leaving more patients prone to the disease.
Worldwide deaths from the disease have reached over 300 million people worldwide annually, he added.
The first step towards managing asthma is to identify and reduce exposure to triggers, he said, adding, that doctors should check the inhaling techniques of their patients on every visit to the clinics.
“Asthma can be hereditary or may result from environmental pollution, indoor pollutants and household allergens, etc,” he said.
A Senior Consultant Chest Physician Dr Waqas Rasheed added that in our society some people consider asthma as a communicable disease and avoid the company of people who are suffering from it, adding, that around 12 per cent of schoolchildren are suffering from asthma in Pakistan.
Asthma is not curable, but it is a controllable disease. A lot of people visit quacks in the hope of getting cured, but they would get only strong doses of oral steroids only to add their serious side effects to the disease, he added.
Replying to a Question, he said that industrial workers are at great risk of occupational asthma due to the non-availability of proper ventilation, masks, clean workplaces and environment, etc.
He expressed fear that the ratio of patients can increase further in the coming years if air pollution is not controlled, he added. To another question, he said that Asthma is a serious global health problem affecting all age groups, adding, it is
increasing rate of disease in our country which is affecting the lungs of the people.
Experts are also called upon to increase their awareness of the continuing preventable morbidity associated with this common disease despite the existence of highly effective controller treatments and to increase their efforts to ensure that environmentally friendly inhaled medications are made available in all countries.
