Asthma, a life threatening disease (Must Read)

 

Asthma is a  medical condition of the chest that makes breathing difficult. It is a major health problem for all age groups. For the majority, control of asthma symptoms is readily achieved; however, in a small minority, it may cause death.
Although the mortality rate for the ailment in those aged less than 65 years are now falling, and an increasing rate of deaths in developing countries yearly.

The ailment requires continual monitoring, treatment and identifying the specific allergens or irritant-causing symptoms in a particular individual. If a severe attack is not recognised in time and emergency obtained, an asthmatic patient can die untimely.

According to experts, the disease rates are increasing in countries around the world and it currently affects over 300 million people globally; this they deduced may be due to increased levels of chemicals in our environment.

In an interview with Sunday Mirror, a medical practitioner with Bishop Awe Medical Centre, Abaranje, Lagos, Dr. Olaiya Awe, defined asthma as a long lasting inflammatory disease of the airways which require continual monitoring and treatment.

His words: “Inflammation is associated with airways hyper-responsiveness that leads to recurrent episodes of wheezing, breathlessness, chest tightness and coughing, particularly at night, or in the early morning. These episodes are usually associated with widespread but variable airflow obstruction within the lung that is often reversible, either spontaneously or with treatment. In person susceptible to asthma, the inflammations cause the airways to spasm and swell periodically so that the airways narrow.”

He, however, said while the individual wheezes or gasps for air, it makes the airways hyper responsive to stimuli such as cold air, exercise, dust mites, pollutants, stress and anxiety.

“The changes that take place in the lungs of people with asthma make the airways i.e. the breathing tubes or bronchi and the smaller bronchioles, hyper-active on different types of stimuli that do not affect the healthy lungs, Asthma attacks the muscle tissue in the walls of bronchi. It goes into spasm thereby making the cells lining swell and mucus secreted into the airways,”, he maintained.

Dr Awe stressed that these actions cause the bronchi to become narrowed, which is medically termed, broncho constriction; as a result, the asthmatic patient has to put greater efforts to breathe in air and expel it.

He advised that avoiding or at least, minimising exposure to asthma triggering agents is the most effective way of managing or treating it, adding that it is helpful to identify the specific irritant causing the signs of asthma in an individual. It may include exposure to dust mites, tobacco and wood smoke.

In terms of treatment, he stated that “the type of asthma being suffered by an individual determines the medication to be used by the patient. However, a good asthma control will prevent chronic and troublesome symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath. It also reduces the need for quick relief treatment such that it helps preserve good lung function, maintaining the normal activity level and sleep through the night. Effective control will prevent attacks that could result in an emergency room visit or hospital stay,” he said.

Dr Awe noted that for asthma patients to stay healthy, they need to partner with doctors or other health care providers to help manage the ailment. He saidAsthma family history is a risk factor for the disease, with many different genes implicated. If one identical twin is affected, the probability of the other having the disease is approximately whereby there is an increased risk to develop asthma.

“Medical experts need to take an active role in their asthma care by creating an action plan which includes guidance on taking medicines properly, tackling the level of control, responding to worsening symptoms and seeking emergency care when needed. Medications can help manage asthma thereby doctors consider many things when deciding which asthma medicines are best for the disease. They check to see how well a medicine works and will adjust the dose or medicine if needed. The medicine can be taken in pill form, but most are taken using a device called an inhaler. An inhaler allows the drug to go directly to the lungs,” the medic explained.

Dr Awe said the medicine can be taken in pill form, but most are taken using a device called an inhaler. An inhaler allows the medicine to go directly to the lungs

“Treatment of acute symptoms is usually with an inhaled short-acting such as salbutamol and oral corticosteroids. In very severe cases, intravenous corticosteroids, magnesium sulphate and hospitalisation may be required. The use of inhaled corticosteroids, long-acting beta agonists (LABA) or leukotriene antagonists may be used in addition to inhaled corticosteroids if asthma symptoms remain controlled,” he added.

He, however, stated that not all inhalers are used the same way. The health care provider or doctor shows the right way to use it. When the treatment begins at first, the patients consult the medical practitioner every two to six weeks but once it’s controlled it may be from once a month to twice a year.

“The help of friends, neighbours and parents to sufferers of the illness assists them to live a prolonged life. There should be close monitoring on an asthmatic in times of crisis and nearness of medicine inhaler in place. Parents should also endeavour that there is no discrimination among the siblings, while friends should rush an asthmatic to the nearest hospital it time of crisis