2023-09-26 04:01:19
The expert affirms that Puerto Ricans have atypical asthma that differs from all racial groups.
By: Luisa Ochoa
September 26, 2023
Recently, Dr. Álvaro Aranda, president of the Coalition of Asma and Other Respiratory Conditions in Puerto Rico, referred to the new frontiers in the management of asma in the Puerto Rican population, which, according to the expert, has different characteristics than those reported in the medical literature.
Eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic asthma present in Puerto Rico
It has commonly been associated with the fact that the majority of asthmatic patients in Puerto Rico have asma of the eosinophilic or allergic type, which occurs when it is triggered by allergenic substances in the environment, added to a genetic predisposition.
However, various studies carried out by Puerto Rican geneticists and pulmonologists have made it clear that asma It can occur in different types and not respond to conventional treatments.
“He asma In Puerto Ricans it is not the asma from the book that was read before, that they were all allergic and that they all respond to bronchodilators or steroids. The Puerto Rican has a asma very atypical that differs from all racial groups at this time,” emphasized Dr. Aranda.
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He asma Eosinophilic or allergic disease presents the typical symptoms of the condition, which are shortness of breath, cough, allergic processes, itching and pain or tightness in the chest. A characteristic of this type is that patients have high eosinophils, white cells that, instead of controlling the allergic process, create damage to the airways.
“We can say that in Puerto Rico half of the patients with asma “They are eosinophilic and half are non-eosinophilic,” said Dr. Aranda.
Currently, the asma It affects 22.4% of the adult population, while in infants, its prevalence is around 12.7%, being more common in girls, according to figures from the Department of Health.
Factors that influence the development of asthma in Puerto Rico
In addition to its particular presentation among Puerto Ricans, the asma It may be influenced by other environmental factors and health conditions or comorbidities of the general population.
“There are other inherent comorbidities that affect the asma In Puerto Ricans, one of those are children who are born prematurely, which increases the incidence of asma. There is also exposure to cigarettes or smoke at an early age and nutrition. There are studies from more than 30 years ago that say that the mother’s nutrition affects the incidence and severity of asma in the child,” he commented.
“These are external factors that are influencing the asma In Puerto Rico. That’s why I tell professionals that we must learn from our environment, from our patients and not necessarily just what is in the books,” emphasized the pulmonology specialist.
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