With regard to asthma, a series of concepts have been generated that often confuse patients and minimize the true scope of this disease. This causes many people who suffer from it to ignore their symptoms and live without the possibility of adequate treatment.
World Health Organization (WHO) points out that asthma “is one of the main non-communicable diseases (NCD), which affects children and adults”. Figures from this organization indicate that, in 2019, 262 million people suffered from it and that it caused 461,000 deaths.
(Lea: One in eight Colombians suffers from asthma: these are the symptoms)
As far as Colombia is concerned, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection estimated that, in 2020, one in eight Colombians suffered from asthma, that is, five million, numbers that made it the second most relevant chronic respiratory disease after Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), although only 500,000 were diagnosed.
Besides, chronic lower respiratory diseases, including asthma, are the third leading cause of death in the country.
The WHO defines it as “a chronic disease that affects children and adults. The passageways that carry air to the lungs narrow due to inflammation and compression of the muscles that surround the small airways. This causes the symptoms of asthma: cough, wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. These symptoms are intermittent and are often aggravated at night or when exercising.
Although triggers vary from person to person, the most common are viral infections (colds), dust, smoke, fumes, weather changes, grass and tree pollens, animal fur and feathers, soaps strong and perfumes.
The risk of bad breathing
The consequences of this disease in everyday life are diverse, although the WHO points out the following:
– Those who do not receive adequate treatment may suffer from sleep disorders, tiredness during the day and concentration problems.
– People with asthma and their families may have to take time off from work and study, with significant economic repercussions.
– When symptoms are severe, people with asthma may require urgent care and may need to be admitted to hospital for treatment and monitoring.
– In the most severe cases, asthma can be fatal.
However, a good percentage of deaths related to asthma are reported in low or medium-low income countries due to the lack of diagnosis and adequate treatment, although asthma is present in all regions of the planet, regardless of its development or economic capacity.
The Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA)meanwhile, highlights that there are a number of gaps in the care of patients with asthma that prevent the reduction of preventable suffering and the costs associated with treatments that should be applied to patients who are not in control.
GINA identifies the following gaps in asthma care:
– Equal access to diagnosis and treatment (medicine).
– Between caring for different socioeconomic, ethnic, and age groups.
– Between rich and poor communities and countries.
– In communication and care through the primary/secondary/tertiary care interface
– In the communication and education provided to people with asthma.
– In asthma knowledge and disease awareness among health care providers.
– In the prioritization of asthma and other long-term diseases.
– Between prescribing inhalers and monitoring adherence and the ability to use these devices.
– Between the scientific evidence and the actual provision of care for people with asthma.
The patient in control
Although asthma does not have a curative treatment, it can be controlled very effectively by receiving management with inhaled medications, among others, which allows patients to lead a normal life without limitations.
There are two main types of inhalers, according to the WHO:
– Bronchodilators (such as salbutamol), which clear the airways and relieve symptoms.
– Steroids (such as beclomethasone), which reduce inflammation in the airways, improve asthma symptoms and reduce the risk of severe asthma attacks and death.
People with asthma may need to use an inhaler daily. Your treatment will depend on the frequency of symptoms and the different types of inhalers available.
Additionally, it highlights the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, it is important to educate the patient to avoid the possible triggers of an asthma attack. “For this reason, the main recommendation is to consult the health services when suspecting or symptoms of this disease in order to improve the timeliness of diagnosis and access to adequate treatment,” said Nubia Bautista, deputy director of Noncommunicable Diseases.
For this reason, one of the tips is that people who suffer from asthma and their families access training to better understand this disease, its treatment, the triggers to avoid and how to treat its symptoms at home. Also, it is important to raise awareness in the community to break down the myths and stigma associated with asthma in some settings.
Mayo Clinic recommends that patients take a role in managing their treatment to help them have better long-term asthma control and develop, with their doctor, a plan to guide treatment, tailored to their specific needs.
Precisely this topic will be discussed next May 3 on the Facebook Live of AstraZeneca and Casa Editorial El Tiempo, at 08:30 am, a space in which experts on the subject will put on the table their points of view regarding asthma and your treatment.
And to learn more about this disease, you can connect to the AsmaZero forum: Challenges, progress and commitments for an Asthma-free country on May 4 at 9:00 am