1st May is being observed as World Asthma Day across the world. The day aims to raise the awareness, care and support for the people who are living with asthma. This day is supported by GINA (Global Initiative for Asthma), working with health-care groups across the world in the favor of raising the awareness.
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Asthma is a persistent breathing condition where the airways or the bronchial tube become inflamed and narrow, making it difficult for a person to breathe. The narrowing of the bronchial tube affects the breathing while triggering the symptoms like coughing, shortness of breath, tightening in chest and wheezing. Allergens such as dust, cigarette smoke, pollution, infection, pollens or hypersensitivity increases the severity of asthma.
As per The Global Asthma Report in the year 2011, published by The International Union against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood- Asthma is considered as the most common persistent diseases among kids and about 23.5 crore people around the globe are living with it, which accounts for 1 in every 250 deaths in the world.
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Asthma in India:
With the increase in the level of pollution in the country and dust particles in the environment, it is no secret that the number of people living with asthma is speedily increasing in the country especially in the urban areas. India is independently accountable for 10% of the global burden of asthma. As the reports published by World Health Organization, presently about 15-20 million of people are living with asthma in the country. The incidence of childhood asthma ranges from 2.1% to 11.8%. Not only asthma, the rise in the air pollution is making people to complain about breathlessness, unexplained coughing, tightening in the chest and wheezing.
Factors leading to Asthma:
There are various allergens which are present in the atmosphere, due to which a sensitive person can get an asthma attack. It is impossible to banish all the allergens from the atmosphere, therefore an asthmatic person needs to be very careful about their surroundings and try to minimize their exposure to such allergens.
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Asthmatic people should keep a record of the allergens which can trigger their condition and make it worse. In case they are unaware about those allergens, you can make note of the mentioned below factors, as these factors can also trigger asthma:
- Try to avoid long and extended physical activity as it can lead to shortness of breath.
- Dust, mites, spores, pollen dust, cockroach feces, common cold and infections.
- Humid air and cold
- Fog and smoke
- Anxiety and stress
- Certain medicines which can trigger the condition
- Pollution from vehicles
Asthma is a non-curable medical condition which requires medical attention. Adapting certain changes in your daily lifestyle will help you to cut the risk of accelerating the condition, i.e. asthma attack. Mentioned below are certain tips which will help you manage asthma in a better way:
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- It is advisable to stay away from pets: your pet’s fur, urine and waste are some of the common allergens which can lead to respiratory problems and can cause coughing and sneezing which can create a problem for asthmatic patients. It will be good if you keep your pets away from your bed room. Keeping them well groomed and washed will be helpful in lowering down the problem.
- Use air purifier/AC with air filters: air purifiers and air conditioners with air purifiers are helpful in cleaning the indoor air while keeping the control on allergens from entering your house.
- Make maximum use of pollution mask while travelling: while you travel, you will be dealing with lots of allergens. So it’s better to use pollution mask while travelling to keep these allergens at bay.
- Avoid using heavy fragrances and perfumes: use of very hard perfumes and fragrances can trigger the disease and at times can lead to asthma attack. Hence, it is always advisable to use mild and light perfumes and fragrances.
- Stay healthy: exercising regularly, doing yoga along with a healthy diet will help you to strengthen your heart and lungs while making your body more resistant to asthmatic attacks. A healthy and wholesome diet which contains Vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, Omega fatty acids, antioxidants, magnesium and selenium as these nutrients reduces the risk of asthma while boosts the immunity.
- Clean and decor your room frequently: you need to sanitize and clean your room and its decor regularly to avoid any dust build-up on them. Regularly replace your pillow covers, mattress, carpet and curtains as these objects are the ones which contain most of the dust. Make sure that there is no molds and fungal deposition taking place inside the house. Use hot water to wash your beddings at every alternate day.
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"If you don't control your asthma, your asthma will control you. We all know that asthma can't be cured but a good treatment does help majority of people to live a healthy and normal live. Taming your asthma is not something you can do on your own. So, it is advisable to work closely with your doctor to develop a treatment plan which fits in with your life managing your asthma." says Dr. Deepak Talwar, Chairman & Director, Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases (MCRD), Metro Hospitals & Heart Institute, Noida.
Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases (MCRD), Metro Hospitals & Heart Institute, Noida runs a Special Asthma Clinic on every Tuesday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm .
To know more, kindly call on +919810122486 or email: [email protected]
Metro Centre for Respiratory Diseases (MCRD), Metro Hospitals & Heart Institute, Noida runs a Special Asthma Clinic on every Tuesday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm .
To know more, kindly call on +919810122486 or email: [email protected]
