Today is World Asthma Day - dedicated to raise awareness regarding the condition. You! takes a look...
health
Today is World Asthma Day - dedicated to raise awareness regarding the condition. You! takes a look...
It can start as just a little cough, some discomfort, and before you know it you’re gasping for air, listening to the whistle of every breath and starting to panic. If you frequently experience shortness of breath or you hear a whistling or wheezy sound in your chest when you breathe, you may have asthma - a chronic condition that causes inflammation and narrowing of the bronchial tubes, the passageways that allow air to enter and leave the lungs.
It is thought that as many as 300 million people suffer from some form of asthma in the world. While many other diseases are decreasing in number, the cases of asthma continue to increase with the number expected to reach 400 million by 2025.
Symptoms:
Asthma often runs in families; according to the World Health Organization, about half the cases are due to genetic susceptibility and half result from environmental factors. In sensitive people, breathing in allergy-causing substances (called allergens or triggers) can start asthma symptoms. Triggers include pet dander, dust mites, cockroach allergens, molds, or pollens. Respiratory infections, cold air, stress, food sulfites, tobacco smoke, and other air pollutants can also trigger asthma symptoms. Chest infections, exercise, cigarette smoke and gases can also be triggers. Complications of asthma include tiredness, stress, anxiety and depression.
Asthma symptoms can appear at any time. Symptoms include wheezing, being breathless, having a tight chest and coughing. Mild episodes may last only a few minutes and may be resolved spontaneously or with medication; more severe episodes can last from hours to days.
Treatment:
Although there is no cure for asthma, effective treatments are available. Traditionally, patients are treated with inhaled and oral medications to help control airway inflammation and acute attacks. Many times these are necessary to avoid frequent attacks and hospital visits.
Asthma can be best managed by seeing an allergist. Effective treatment of allergic asthma includes identifying and avoiding allergens that trigger symptoms, using drug therapies and developing an emergency action plan for severe attacks.
Inhalers: Millions of us use inhalers. For some, they’re a lifesaver. For others, they provide welcome relief. Inhalers deliver medicine you need straight to your lungs. It goes without saying then, that they’re used for conditions which affect your lungs, of which by far the most common are asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Nebulizers: Nebulizers deliver liquid or aerosol medications that help you breathe to your lungs via a mask or mouthpiece. Medications given via nebulizer can treat acute conditions or can prevent respiratory problems from developing.
World Asthma Day:
World Asthma Day is a big event celebrated all over the world to increase the awareness among public worldwide about the precautions and preventions of the asthma. This event is annually organized on international level by the GINA (Global Initiative for Asthma) in order to increase the asthma awareness all around the world. It is celebrated on annual basis at 1st Tuesday of the May month. World Asthma Day celebration was first started celebrating in the year 1998 by the GINA in more than 35 countries after its first ‘World Asthma Meeting’ in the Barcelona, Spain. World Asthma Day is also supported by the World Asthma Foundation.
World Asthma Day activities:
The aim of World Asthma Day is to raise awareness, care and support for those affected by asthma. Whilst the primary focus is supporting the person with asthma, support may also extend to family, friends and caregivers. GINA organizes variety of programmes every year with the help of organizers and associates like health care groups and asthma educators to encourage and motivate common public using the sub-theme called ‘It’s Time to Control Asthma’.
World Asthma Day is celebrated in the month of May every year that’s why May is known as the Asthma Awareness Month. Patients of persistent asthma are motivated through many activities for using inhaled corticosteroids to get successful control over the asthma. Some of the activities are:
* Asthma Societies in many countries celebrates World Asthma Day on national level.
* Free check-up camps are organized to assess the severity of asthma among people to start best treatment.
* TV channels and news channels distributes messages like ‘fighting asthma with every breath’ and other awareness messages to reach to the public.
* Patients are motivated for their scheduled follow-up visits at the periodic intervals of six months and controlling the environmental exposures to get prevented from allergens or irritants.
* New asthma clinics and pharmacy clinics are opened in the required areas.
* Quiz competitions, debate, symposium and etc on the subject of asthma are organized in the schools, colleges and pharmacies throughout the country.
* Classes are taken by the teachers on the subjects of asthma prevention and precaution methods.
* Asthma awareness posters and banners are distributed and applied in the most vulnerable areas to increases public awareness.
