Understanding Asthma and the burden it poses to the society

Asthma is one of the common chronic diseases found in the world today.

It is estimated that around 300 million people in the world currently have asthma.source

Asthma accounts for about 1 in every 250 deaths worldwide.source .

Majority of subjects are genetically predisposed. Environmental pollutants and other trigger factors play a major role in asthma exacerbation.
Asthma manifests with a variety of symptoms, none of which is specific for asthma.

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In Nigeria it is estimated that about 15 Million people are asthmatic.

Being diagnosed with Asthma is not a bad omen, rather it is an opportunity to know more about your condition and how best to improve your health.
Let me clear your mind about some myths about asthma.

Asthma is a non-communicable disease, meaning that you cannot be ‘infected ‘with asthma via another person.

Having asthma doesn’t kill, but neglecting the treatment plan would put your life at a great risk.

Asthma doesn’t have a cure yet; the treatment modality is basically to maintain control of the symptoms.

WHAT IS ASTHMA?
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Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways.source.

It is associated with airway hyperresponsiveness & airflow limitation which makes breathing very difficult.

WHAT CAUSES ASTHMA?
What causes Asthma cannot really be pinpointed to a particular thing, so we call that multifactorial. But we know that the factors that come into play could be understood better when classified under:

• Factors that influence the development of asthma.
• Factors affecting the expression of asthma (triggers)

FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ASTHMA

• GENETICS- A study of Asthma shows it to run in families’ if a parent has it; the children develop a 50-100% chance of having asthma.

• SEX: Male children have a greater risk, but the table turns in adulthood when the women folks have a greater risk of coming down with asthma.

• OBESITY: Studies show that there is a relation between asthma and obesity.

• Atopy. Atopic individuals have an increased tendency to allergic hypersensitivity reactions when in contact with allergens to which they are sensitized. Allergens (pollen grains, Molds etc.) Could be found both.

FACTORS THAT TRIGGER ATTACK.
A trigger is anything that elicits the symptoms of your asthma or when in contact with irritates your airways. It is usually difficult to identify these triggers, but once you can identify them, you would be able to avoid them. Some of the triggers are:

• ENVIRONMENT-: Certain environments can trigger an attack, e.g. being in an environment surrounded by animals with fur, feather etc., being in a garden where certain trees or even grasses are planted are contributory.

• OCCUPATIONAL SENSITISERS- Asthma is a common occupational respiratory disease in the industrialized world. 10-15% of adult-onset asthmatics stem from occupation.

• AIR POLLUTION- These are chemical irritants (e.g. sulphur dioxide, Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)) that constitute contaminants in the air we breathe. they can trigger the onset of asthma.

• INFECTION- A poorly treated cold or chest infection can cause late-onset asthma in adults.

• SMOKING- being an active or passive smoker also puts you at risk.

The list of triggers are too numerous to mention, so don’t get angry if the doctor pry’s around your exercise habits, your pets, your smoking habits, your sex life, the type of food you eat (oh yes, do you know that some people do not eat cow’s milk, egg, fish? etc.). Emotions and even laughter can be a hidden trigger too.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF ASTHMA?
A person that has asthma would certainly have one or more of the following.

• Wheezing or Noisy breathing,
• Shortness of breath ,
• Chest tightness ,
• Cough.

LIVING WITH ASTHMA.
After speaking with a doctor and a diagnosis of asthma is made, the doctor would try to educate you on the best way to stay healthy. But you have to take the doctor for his words and adhere to his prescription.

When you do these, the symptoms usually experienced by you would reduce drastically and you would be able to carry out your normal daily activities effortlessly.

DRUGS FOR ASTHMATICS IN USE.
It isn’t strange to sight an inhaler these days, they are the most common and effective ‘drugs ‘ taken by asthmatics after a proper tutelage on how to use them.
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There are two main types of inhalers in use today

• Relievers are Short-acting beta agonists (SABA), anticholinergic designed to give rapid relief and are usually carried about by these patients.

• Controllers- These are Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), or long-acting beta agonists (LABA) prescribed in the right doses to help to control the activities of the airway on a daily basis.

WHAT IF I STILL HAVE SYMPTOMS AFTER TAKING THE DRUGS?

Certain sickness like (Bronchiolitis, Pneumonia, Sinusitis, Cardiac failure) etc. can mimic asthma, so you may be taking a wrong prescription after all.
If you fall into this category, it is important for you to know that your ‘asthma’ is not under control and you would need to go back to see a specialist in the ‘field of asthma’ as soon as possible, the doctor would review your condition and make some changes to the previous prescription made.

CONCLUSION.
Understanding and managing your asthma requires self-discipline, Partnership between the physician, patients, and family are very crucial. This would help prevents Deaths from asthma and reduce the burden of asthma from the society.

If you are still interested in reading about asthma, the following reference articles should come in handy.

• Airway inflammation and remodeling in asthma: Current concepts

• Asthma control in adults

• GINA guidelines on asthma and beyond